Sharpen Up: March 29, 2021 | Sabres open 4-game homestand tonight

The Buffalo Sabres are back at home tonight for a game against the Philadelphia Flyers.
They'll look to snap a 17-game winless streak (0-15-2). Faceoff from KeyBank Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. RJ and Rayzor will have the call on MSG and WGR 550. Pregame coverage on MSG kicks things off at 6:30.
Here's what you need to know.

Tonight's matchup

The Sabres are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday, a game in which they held the lead going into the third period. But the Bruins scored twice in the final frame to hand the Sabres their ninth-straight regulation loss.
Buffalo's last point came in a shootout loss to the Flyers on March 9.

"We were not as aggressive as we needed to be, collectively," Sabres interim head coach Don Granato said. "We just weren't moving as a group of five well enough. We did that, we got into a rhythm to start the game and in the third, just in my head here, we were not moving as a unit. They elevated their intensity; we didn't elevate as we should have."

Linus Ullmark was back in net for Buffalo for the first time since sustaining a lower-body injury during a game on February 25. He made 33 saves.
"Obviously he's a really good goalie and he played really well today," forward Kyle Okposo said afterwards. "He showed what he can do. I mean, he made a ton of good saves, he was very calm back there and he played great. He's the type of goalie that can give you a chance to win every night and it was good to see him back."

The Sabres opened up a few spots on their taxi squad yesterday when they reassigned goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and forward Brett Murray to the Rochester Americans (AHL).
Rochester's next scheduled game is Wednesday against the Cleveland Monsters at Blue Cross Arena.
Let's take a look at the Game Notes for tonight's game, put together by our friends over at @SabresPR:

New date for postponed game

The Sabres' game against the Boston Bruins originally scheduled for Saturday, March 20 will now be played on Tuesday, April 20 at 7 p.m. at KeyBank Center. The NHL announced the new date along with 18 other rescheduled games Sunday evening.
The March 20 contest was postponed due to Bruins players entering the NHL's COVID-19 protocols on March 19.
The game moving to April 20 sets up a stretch of three games in a row against Boston at KeyBank Center. The two clubs were already scheduled to play back-to-back games on April 22 and 23 in Buffalo.
It also extends Buffalo's homestand during that time to five games over seven days (April 17-23).

Tickets for 4 home games go on sale today

The Sabres will host fans at KeyBank Center four more times during the 2020-21 season.
The dates, times and opponents for the four games are as follows:
A limited number of tickets for all four games will go on sale today at 2 p.m.
Season ticket holders will have an exclusive window to purchase tickets starting at 10 a.m. and will automatically receive a discount on the box office price when they purchase a ticket through their account.
Additional information for fans attending Sabres games this season can be found at Sabres.com/FAQ.
Based on updated guidance from New York State, fans will have additional options for entering KeyBank Center, making it easier to attend the remaining games this season. Each fan who attends a game will need to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 antigen or molecular (RT-PCR/TMA) COVID test result.
Fans who are fully vaccinated can show their vaccination card when entering KeyBank Center. To attend a game, fans will need to have received their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or single dose of the Johnson & Johnson's Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to the date of the game.
Fans who need to test to enter the game will need to show proof of a negative antigen COVID-19 test taken within six hours of puck drop, or proof of negative molecular (RT-PCR/TMA) COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of the game.
Click here for further details.