Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Not starting Saturday
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Although it appeared Luukkonen would start in Saturday's road game against Boston, James Reimer will get the nod instead, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports.
Luukkonen allowed four goals on 13 shots across 24:27 of ice time in Buffalo's 6-3 loss to Toronto on Friday. Reimer also played in that game, logging 33:26 while stopping 14 of 15 shots. Luukkonen has an 8-11-3 record, 3.12 GAA and .892 save percentage in 23 outings in 2024-25.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Will start again Saturday
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Luukkonen is slated to start on the road versus the Bruins on Saturday, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.
Luukkonen is slated to be back in the crease after being pulled from Friday's game versus the Maple Leafs. He surrendered four goals on 13 shots before being replaced by James Reimer early in the second period. It appears that quick hook was to keep Luukkonen fresh -- per Hamilton, head coach Lindy Ruff did not place the blame for Friday's 6-3 loss on his goalie.
Luukkonen is expected to start in Friday's home tilt against Toronto, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.
Luukkonen has been charged with the loss in each of his past eight appearances (0-6-2) while allowing 29 goals on 230 shots (.874 save percentage). That's dropped him to 8-10-3 with a 3.00 GAA and .896 save percentage across 22 outings in 2024-25. To be fair to Luukkonen, Buffalo is in the midst of an 11-game losing streak, so he's far from the only member of the Sabres who has left plenty to be desired recently. The Sabres will see if they can end their slump against the Maple Leafs, who have a 20-10-2 record and are tied for 17th in goals per game with 3.03.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Pulled early in loss
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Luukkonen allowed six goals on 21 shots in Tuesday's 6-1 loss to Montreal.
Luukkonen allowed an early goal, and Montreal scored on half of its six on the power play, as the Sabres dropped their 11th straight. He was eventually pulled after two periods and replaced by James Reimer. Luukkonen hasn't tasted victory since Nov. 22, going 0-5-2 with a 3.30 GAA since. Buffalo is off until Friday when it hosts the Maple Leafs.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Starting in Montreal
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Luukkonen will defend the road net against the Canadiens on Tuesday, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports report.
Luukkonen has surrendered 23 goals on 209 shots during his seven-game (0-5-2) winless skid. He has posted a record of 8-9-3 with one shutout, a 2.80 GAA and a .903 save percentage through 21 appearances this season. Montreal ranks 24th in the league with 2.70 goals per game in 2024-25.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Extends losing skid
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Luukkonen turned aside 27 of 30 shots faced during Saturday's 4-2 road loss to the Capitals.
Luukkonen got staked to a lead in the first period, but the Sabres were unable to keep above water and saddled the Swedish netminder with his seventh consecutive loss. Buffalo has a quick turnaround with the high-octane Maple Leafs in a tough road matchup where James Reimer is expected to guard the crease.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Facing Capitals
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Luukkonen will defend the road net against Washington on Saturday, per Tom Gulitti of NHLcom.
Luukonen has gone six straight games (0-4-2) without a win while allowing 20 goals on 179 shots. He has posted a record of 8-8-3 with one shutout, a 2.79 GAA and a .903 save percentage through 20 appearances this season. Washington ranks first in the league with 3.96 goals per game in 2024-25.
Luukkonen allowed two goals on 27 shots in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Rangers. The third goal was an empty-netter.
Luukkonen didn't get any goal support for over 55 minutes, and it was an empty-netter that set the Rangers apart. The Sabres scored once after that Adam Fox tally to make it the decisive goal. Luukkonen is 0-4-2 during his six-game losing streak, but this was one of his better performances during the skid. Overall, the 25-year-old netminder is 8-8-3 with a 2.79 GAA and a .903 save percentage over 20 starts this season. The Sabres have a brutal back-to-back ahead with road games Saturday against the Capitals and Sunday versus the Maple Leafs.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Starting Wednesday
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Luukkonen will protect the home goal versus the Rangers on Wednesday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.
Luukkonen has lost his last five outings, and he's allowed at least four goals in three of those games. The 25-year-old may catch a bit of a reprieve in this contest, as the Rangers are also struggling, having scored just 16 goals over their last six contests.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Can't pull team out of spiral
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Luukkonen made 23 saves in a 5-2 loss to Utah on Saturday.
The Sabres are on a skid -- they've lost six straight games and been outscored 21-11 in that span. Luukkonen himself hasn't won since Nov. 22; he's 0-3-2 in that span with 18 goals allowed. UPL is a talented guy, but that talent can't save a team that's in a spiral. Park him on your bench until the Sabres start to get their game back.
Luukkonen will be in the home blue paint versus Utah on Saturday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.
Luukkonen has been less than stellar over his last three starts, giving up 12 goals on 94 shots (.872 save percentage) and losing all three games. He has posted a mark of 8-6-3 with a 2.70 GAA and a .906 save percentage across 18 outings this season. Utah is averaging 2.80 goals per game this season.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Strong in OT loss
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Luukkonen made 28 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Jets on Thursday.
Luukkonen played a strong game and came within a hair of stopping the eventual winner -- he slammed the door shut on the initial chance off the rush, but Adam Lowry picked up the rebound near the right post and hammered it home. Luukkonen has scuffled a bit lately -- he's 0-2-2 in his last four games with 13 goals allowed after going 5-0-0 in his previous five outings. Luukkonen is a solid fantasy netminder and will play a crucial role in the Sabres' postseason chances.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Set to start against Winnipeg
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Luukkonen is slated to serve as the starting goaltender for Thursday's home game against the Jets, Michael Augello of The Hockey News reports.
Luukkonen will be between the pipes for the fourth time in the Sabres' last five games, but he's largely struggled over his last three outings, going 0-2-1 with a 3.34 GAA and .892 save percentage. Although the Jets have cooled off from their hot start to the season, they're still tied for fourth in the league with 3.65 goals per game.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Late collapse in stunning loss
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Luukkonen turned aside 36 shots in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Avalanche.
The Sabres seemed to have the game in the bag when they jumped out to a 4-0 lead less than 12 minutes into the first period, but Buffalo completely collapsed in the third, getting outshot 17-7. Luukkonen tried desperately to stem the tide, but all four Colorado goals in the final frame came either on rebounds his defense couldn't clear, or on deflections. Luukkonen is 0-2-1 over his last three starts, but since the beginning of November, he's delivered a stellar 2.25 GAA and .919 save percentage in 10 outings.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: In goal Tuesday
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Luukkonen will start in goal at home Tuesday versus the Avalanche, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.
Luukkonen has allowed seven goals over his last four outings, going 2-1-1 in that span. He'll have a moderately tough challenge Tuesday against an Avalanche team that has scored 17 times over its last six games.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Unable to withstand Vancouver
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Luukkonen conceded four goals on 22 shots in Friday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Canucks.
Luukkonen allowed more than two goals in a game for just the second time across nine appearances in November. The 25-year-old has provided stability between the pipes for the league's youngest roster in the Sabres, but he'll get a night off in the second half of a back-to-back Saturday -- James Reimer will start on the road against the Islanders. Luukkonen has an 8-5-2 record, .909 save percentage and 2.54 GAA over 16 appearances.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Facing Canucks
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Luukkonen will tend the home twine versus Vancouver on Friday, Stefen Rosner of NHL.com reports.
Luukkonen has been outstanding in his last three starts, allowing only three goals on 86 shots. Luukkonen is 8-5-1 with a 2.45 GAA and a .914 save percentage in 15 contests this season. He will face the Canucks, who are averaging 3.19 goals per game.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Brilliant performance in loss
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Luukkonen made 28 saves in a 1-0 loss to Minnesota on Wednesday.
UPL was brilliant all night long -- he had to be because he got zero help from his teammates. The only goal he allowed was a one-timer from Kirill Kaprizov that finished off a 4-on-1 rush. Luukkonen had a tough first three games to the season, but he's really dialed in his game since then. His 2.45 GAA and .914 save percentage in 15 starts are better than what he delivered in his breakout 2023-24. UPL is the reason the Sabres are within a stone's throw from a postseason spot at the quarter pole of the season.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Slated to start Wednesday
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Luukkonen is set to start at home against Minnesota on Wednesday, per Paul Hamilton on WGR Sports Radio 550.
Luukkonen has an 8-4-1 record, 2.55 GAA and .910 save percentage in 14 appearances in 2024-25. He's won his past two starts while saving 45 of 47 shots (.957 save percentage). The Wild have a 13-4-4 record and rank 12th offensively with 3.33 goals per game.
Luukkonen stopped 22 of 24 shots in Friday's 3-2 overtime win over the Ducks.
Luukkonen has won his last five decisions over six games, the exception being when he was pulled from a 7-5 loss to the Canadiens on Nov. 11. The 25-year-old struggled a bit early Friday, allowing a goal in each of the first two periods before the Sabres turned things around. He's now 8-4-1 with a 2.55 GAA and a .910 save percentage over 14 appearances. James Reimer is likely to get the nod in goal versus one of his former teams, the Sharks, for Saturday's game.
