Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Hangs on for shootout win
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Luukkonen stopped 25 shots in regulation and overtime and three of four shootout attempts in Monday's 4-3 win over the Capitals.
The Sabres handed Luukkonen one-goal leads three times in the first two periods, and each time the netminder couldn't stop the Caps from tying it up. However, the 25-year-old was the sharper of the two goalies in the shootout. Over his last six starts, Luukkonen has gone 4-1-1 with a 2.81 GAA and a .901 save percentage, allowing three goals or less in five of those outings.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Facing Avalanche
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Luukkonen will guard the road goal versus the Avalanche on Thursday, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
Luukkonen's winning streak was snapped at three games when he allowed three goals on 32 shots versus the Stars on Tuesday. The 25-year-old has played better lately after struggling heavily early in December. That said, this is a second straight tough matchup, as the Avalanche have scored at least four goals in five straight contests.
Luukkonen allowed three goals on 32 shots in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Stars. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.
Luukkonen had allowed just five goals over his last three games, all wins. The Stars were able to get to him a bit in the latter half of Tuesday's contest, though their second goal was a Jason Robertson tally directly off a turnover. Luukkonen slipped back to 11-12-3 with a 2.95 GAA and an .898 save percentage. The good news is the Sabres are back to being competitive, which should help Luukkonen have chances to earn wins. The team continues its road trip with another tough matchup in Colorado on Thursday.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Getting into groove
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Luukkonen turned aside 35 of 37 shots in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Blues.
Luukkonen was spectacular Sunday as the Sabres snuck out a win despite being heavily outplayed by the Blues. The Finnish netminder has won three consecutive games after going 0-6-1 through his first seven appearances in December. The 25-year-old improved to 11-11-3 with an .898 save percentage and a 2.95 GAA through 26 outings. Luukkonen will most likely draw the road start Tuesday in Dallas.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Set to start versus Chicago
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Luukkonen will protect the home goal versus the Blackhawks on Friday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.
Luukkonen ended his personal nine-game skid when he stopped 27 of 28 shots versus the Islanders in a 7-1 win Monday. The 25-year-old Luukkonen will look to build some momentum now. The Blackhawks have averaged just 2.57 goals per game this season, so this is a favorable matchup for the Finnish netminder.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Impressive vs. Isles
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Luukkonen stopped 27 of 28 shots in Monday's 7-1 win over the Islanders.
Luukkonen recorded his first win since Nov. 22 and was excellent in this contest. The only goal he surrendered was to Kyle Palmieri in the second period when Buffalo already had a five-goal advantage. This was also a huge bounce-back performance for Luukkonen, who, record aside, had posted a save percentage below the .720 mark in each of his last two starts while allowing 10 goals on 34 shots in that span. The Finnish netminder should remain Buffalo's top option between the pipes, but the team's overall struggles limit his upside considerably.
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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: 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.
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: 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: 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.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Will start Friday
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Luukkonen will protect the road goal in Friday's game versus the Ducks.
Luukkonen will make his second start in a row after missing two games due to an undisclosed injury. He'll play the first half of a back-to-back, which likely means James Reimer will be in goal for Saturday's game in San Jose. Luukkonen is 7-4-1 with a 2.61 GAA and a .909 save percentage over 13 games, and the Ducks have averaged just 2.56 goals per game this season.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Earns shutout in return
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Luukkonen recorded a 23-save shutout in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Kings.
Luukkonen missed about a week with an undisclosed injury, but a light schedule in that span meant he only sat out two games. The 25-year-old was excellent in his return, earning his first shutout of the season and his fourth win in his last six appearances, a span in which he's allowed more than two goals just one time. Luukkonen is up to a 7-4-1 record with a 2.61 GAA and a .910 save percentage through 13 outings, numbers roughly in line with his breakout performance from 2023-24. He should operate as the Sabres' No. 1 goalie moving forward. The team wraps up its California trip with a back-to-back featuring games in Anaheim on Friday and San Jose on Saturday, so expect Luukkonen and James Reimer to split those starts.
