Sharpen Up: February 13, 2023 | Road trip kicks off tonight

Sabres After Dark returns for the final time this season.
Buffalo is in California this week and we'll have a 10:30 p.m. faceoff tonight against the Los Angeles Kings.
Pregame coverage on MSG starts at 10 p.m. If you can't wait that long, Brian Duff and Martin Biron have hockey talk coming your way with Sabres Live at noon on MSG and WGR 550.
Stay tuned for lineup news and notes following the team's morning skate, which is set to take place around 2:30 p.m.
Until then…
Here's what you need to know.

Last week's big story

The team returned to play on Saturday following a nine-day break, but didn't have their best in a 7-2 loss to the Calgary Flames on home ice.
"They came out and just punched us in the face. They just played better than us," Tage Thompson, who returned to action after missing the third period of Buffalo's final game before the break with an upper-body injury, said.
"I didn't think we played great in the first, just a little bit rusty, but maybe a bit of a false sense of security being up two goals after the first period. Probably should've talked about it a little bit more after the first and try to get to our game. We just got pounded in the second period."
Click here to read the full recap.

Granato skated the team hard during yesterday's practice in Los Angeles.
Here's a snippet from yesterday's Practice Report:
The Sabres had played 13 games in 22 days prior to the break. They found momentum within that stretch, churning out points in each of the final seven contests.
They had three days before their final game ahead of the break, a 5-1 loss to Carolina on February 1. Sabres captain Kyle Okposo identified similarities between that game and the loss to Calgary.
"I just don't think we managed the rest really well," he said. "We were in such a rhythm there playing so many games, and then you have two games where you have to start from a standstill and I just don't think we did a good enough job getting into the game."
Read the full story here.

The games ahead

It's a three-game trip, but spread out over six days.
After tonight's game, the team will play Anaheim on Wednesday. That's a 10 p.m. faceoff from Honda Center.
And then they'll take on the Sharks at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The Sabres will return home on Tuesday, February 21. They'll take on the Toronto Maple Leafs for just the second time this season - and the only time at KeyBank Center.
Limited tickets are still available here. Faceoff for that one is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+ and Hulu
Pregame coverage for all games airing on MSG kick off each night 30 minutes before faceoff.

What else to watch for this week

Let's take a look at the playoff picture.
Washington (62 points through 55 games) and Pittsburgh (61 points through 52 games) currently hold the top two Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference.
Washington's next game is Tuesday against Carolina, and Pittsburgh wraps up their West Coast swing against the Sharks tomorrow night.
The Islanders (60 points through 56 games) and the Panthers (58 points through 55 games) are right behind.
Florida is in Minnesota tonight while the Islanders will host Ottawa tomorrow.
Then Buffalo checks in with 56 points through 51 games, five back of the Penguins for that second Wild Card berth.
We'll all be watching the out-of-town scores closely over the next month for sure.