Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Stabilizes crease in Game 6
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Luukkonen stopped all 18 shots he faced in relief of Alex Lyon in an 8-3 win over the Canadiens in Game 6 on Saturday.
Luukkonen was brought in midway through the first period with the Sabres facing a 3-1 deficit. He did his job, turning into a brick wall while the Sabres' offense broke through in a big way at the other end of the rink. Luukkonen is now 2-1 with seven goals allowed on 72 shots over three appearances in the second round. It's likely he gets the nod in Game 7 on Monday with the season on the line for both teams and an Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Hurricanes going to the winner.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Gets hook in Game 5
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Luukkonen allowed five goals on 23 shots Thursday before being replaced by Alex Lyon to begin the third period during the Sabres' 6-3 loss to the Canadiens in Game 5 of their second-round series.
Buffalo actually took a 3-2 lead into the first intermission, but the team's defensive woes piled up over the final 40 minutes as the game slipped away. Luukkonen wasn't exactly sharp either, however, and he looked shaky on what proved to be the game-winning goal late in the second period -- Ivan Demidov's shot somehow got past him on the short side, and the puck fell into the crease for Jake Evans to poke home. With the Sabres' season on the line and neither of the team's top two goalies playing particularly well, coach Lindy Ruff will have a tough decision to make between the pipes for Game 6 on Saturday. Over four outings this postseason, Luukkonen has a 4.20 GAA and .851 save percentage.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Back in goal for Game 5
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Luukkonen will protect the home goal versus the Canadiens in Game 5 on Thursday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.
Luukkonen will get the start again after picking up a win with a 29-save effort in Montreal on Tuesday in Game 4. The 27-year-old is now 2-1 with nine goals allowed on 71 shots over three appearances this postseason. The Canadiens have yet to lose consecutive games in the playoffs, so this could be a tough matchup for Luukkonen at a pivotal point in the second-round series.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Gets hook in Game 2 loss
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Luukkonen gave up four goals on 20 shots before being replaced by Alex Lyon early in the third period Tuesday during the Sabres' 4-2 loss to the Bruins in Game 2 of their first-round series.
After a scoreless first period, things fell apart for Buffalo in the second, and Luukkonen didn't help matters when he let a bouncing puck get past him for Boston's second goal on a backhand flip from center ice by Morgan Geekie. Lyon was perfect in relief in the final frame, creating a potential goaltending controversy for the Sabres heading into Game 3 on Thursday since Luukkonen has given up seven goals on only 40 shots through the first two games in the series.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Secures Game 1 win
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Luukkonen allowed three goals on 20 shots in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Bruins in Game 1.
It wasn't looking good for the Sabres for much of the game, but they rallied for four goals in a span of 6:46 during the third period. That gave them just enough of a cushion to weather a late comeback attempt by the Bruins. While it was far from a pretty outing, Luukkonen was able to get the win in his playoff debut. He had a good regular season with a 22-9-3 record, a 2.51 GAA and a .909 save percentage over 35 appearances. Luukkonen is set to be the Sabres' No. 1 goalie to start the postseason, though any struggles could open the door for Alex Lyon to get some game action. The Sabres host Game 2 on Tuesday.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Set for playoff debut
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Luukkonen will be between the home pipes in Game 1 against the Bruins on Sunday, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.
Luukkonen finished the regular season on a high note, winning three straight games and seven of his final nine. Across that nine-game stretch, the Finnish netminder surrendered more than three goals on just one occasion. The lone rough patch happened to come against the Bruins, though, a matchup in which Luukkonen allowed four goals on 31 shots in a 4-3 overtime loss March 25. Boston struggled away from TD Garden in 2025-26, posting a 16-16-9 record on the road, while the Sabres finished the regular season with a 26-10-5 record at KeyBank Center.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Cruises to another win Monday
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Luukkonen stopped 14 of 15 shots on net in Monday's 5-1 win over the Blackhawks.
Luukkonen allowed the first goal of the contest while at a man disadvantage, but went on to keep Buffalo's net clean for the next 56 minutes. With the win, he now has a 22-9-3 record, a 2.51 GAA and a .909 save percentage across 35 games this season. The 27-year-old netminder has been on fire as of late with a 5-1-0 record, a 2.15 GAA and a .910 save percentage across his last six outings. With his hot streak helping the Sabres claim their first Atlantic Division title since the 2009-10 campaign, he'll likely get a game of rest before being the top choice to suit up for Game 1 of Buffalo's first-round series.
Luukkonen will start in Monday's road game against the Blackhawks, per Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News.
Luukkonen will look to stay hot in Monday's contest after earning a win in four of his last five starts. Overall, the 27-year-old netminder has a 21-9-3 record, a 2.56 GAA and a .908 save percentage across 34 appearances this season. He's been a big reason why the Sabres currently sit atop the Atlantic Division, and he'll have extra motivation in Monday's contest to make sure they keep two points in hand on the surging Canadiens. Luukkonen will face off against a Blackhawks offense that ranks tied for 31st in the NHL with 2.55 goals per game this season.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Fourth win in five games
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Luukkonen stopped 17 of 20 shots in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Rangers.
Luukkonen wasn't at his best, and Buffalo trailed 3-2 after two periods. He stayed in goal for the third, and the Sabres' defense stepped up, as Luukkonen faced just one shot in the final frame while his teammates rallied for the win. The 27-year-old has won four of his last five outings and is up to 21-9-3 with a 2.56 GAA and a .908 save percentage across 34 appearances. If Alex Lyon (lower body) isn't able to play Thursday at home versus the Blue Jackets, Colten Ellis will likely get the nod. However, Luukkonen's light workload in Wednesday's win could keep him in consideration.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Earns win Tuesday
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Luukkonen stopped 25 of 28 shots in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Islanders.
Luukkonen has avoided losses in regulation in his last five starts, a stretch in which he's gone 4-0-1 with an impressive 1.97 GAA and .933 save percentage. He has posted a record of 8-1-1 with a 2.29 GAA and a .922 save percentage since the Olympic break. He had been rotating contests with Alex Lyon, but that ended with Luukkonen's second consecutive start in Tuesday's matchup. Still, it wouldn't be surprising if Lyon continued to see playing time down the stretch.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Falters in overtime loss
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Luukkonen allowed four goals on 31 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Bruins.
Luukkonen has mostly been pretty good lately, but this was far from his best work. He allowed a goal in each period in regulation and ceded the decisive tally to Pavel Zacha just 38 seconds into the extra session. Luukkonen has gone 6-1-1 over his last eight outings, and he's at 17-8-3 on the year with a 2.60 GAA and a .908 save percentage over 29 appearances. With the Sabres deploying a strict goalie rotation since the Olympic break, expect Alex Lyon to get the nod versus the Red Wings on Friday before Luukkonen returns to the crease Saturday versus the Kraken.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Keeps rolling Saturday
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Luukkonen turned aside 26 shots in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Kings.
Artemi Panarin opened the scoring midway through the first period on the power play, but Luukkonen shut the door the rest of the way as the Sabres' offense took over. The 27-year-old netminder has won six of seven starts since the Olympic break, going 6-1-0 with a stellar .930 save percentage.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Getting start in Vegas on Tuesday
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Luukkonen will occupy the road net Tuesday against the Golden Knights, according to Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.
Luukkonen and Alex Lyon have been alternating starts since the Olympic break, a trend that will continue Tuesday in Vegas. Aside from letting in seven goals in a frenetic matchup against Tampa on March 8, Luukkonen is 4-1-0 and has allowed two goals or less in four of his five starts since the Olympic break. The Golden Knights have scored a total of 10 goals in back-to-back wins over the Penguins and Blackhawks following a three-game losing streak.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Beaten seven times Sunday
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Luukkonen stopped 21 of 28 shots in Sunday's 8-7 win over the Lightning.
This is clearly an outing that didn't favor Luukkonen's recent strong run of play, but at least he extended his winning streak to four games. He had allowed two or fewer goals in each of his previous three wins, and the 27-year-old will aim to bounce back in his next start. That said, the Sabres have been alternating the workload between the pipes of late, so it wouldn't be surprising if Alex Lyon gets the nod against the Sharks on Tuesday.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: In goal Thursday versus Pittsburgh
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Luukkonen will guard the road goal versus the Penguins on Thursday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.
Luukkonen has won his last two outings, giving up just three goals on 66 shots in those games. The 26-year-old has been splitting time with Alex Lyon, who is also on a roll. Luukkonen will face a team that has 12 goals over four games since the Olympic break.
Luukkonen will guard the road goal versus the Lightning on Saturday, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
This will be a tough matchup, as the Lightning are one of the league's top teams. Luukkonen won his first start coming out of the Olympic break, which was also his return from a lower-body injury. He stopped 27 of 28 shots in his win over the Devils on Wednesday. Luukkonen will need to stay sharp between the pipes to maintain a timeshare with Alex Lyon.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Starting versus Devils
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Luukkonen will start on the road versus the Devils on Wednesday, Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports.
Luukkonen was activated from injured reserve and will suit up Wednesday after his lower-body injury cost him the opportunity to represent Finland at the Olympics. The 26-year-old goalie went 4-2-1 over eight games in January, but he had a mediocre 3.21 GAA and .901 save percentage in those contests.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Moved to injured reserve
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Luukkonen (lower body) was shifted to injured reserve Monday, per the NHL media site.
In a corresponding move, defenseman Jacob Bryson (upper body) was removed from injured reserve ahead of Monday's game versus the Panthers. Luukkonen appears unlikely to play again before the break, but it's unclear if he will be ready to suit up for Finland in the Olympics.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Third win in last five starts
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Luukkonen made 32 saves in a 4-2 win over the Canadiens on Thursday.
Luukkonen is 3-1-1 in his last five starts and 6-2-1 in nine games since Christmas. He allowed two or fewer goals in five of those nine starts. Luukkonen has an 11-7-2 record with a 2.66 GAA and .905 save percentage in 19 starts this season. He was strong once again Thursday, which is a good sign now that the sizzling Alex Lyon is back in the fold after his injury absence. The Sabres need to keep their proverbial foot to the floor, so they'll likely choose the hottest glove hand on any given day.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Drawing start in Montreal
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Luukkonen will patrol the road blue paint Thursday versus the Canadiens, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.
Luukkonen has lost back-to-back starts while allowing a combined seven goals on 64 shots (.891 save percentage) following a three-game winning streak. The Canadiens have won their previous two games against Ottawa and Minnesota, which came on the heels of a loss to Buffalo last Thursday, but Colten Ellis was between the pipes for that contest. Luukkonen has struggled against Montreal during his career, posting a 1-2-0 record, 4.54 GAA and .847 save percentage over four outings.
