Reimer On A Roll, Luukkonen On Losing Skid

The Buffalo Sabres have seemingly found the secret for success late in the regular season, as they capped off their three-game road trip with a 5-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. After starting March with five straight losses, the club finished the month and began April with a 5-1-0 record. All five of those victories were with backup James Reimer between the pipes.

The 37-year-old made 33 saves in his fifth straight win and moved over .500 for the first time since his debut victory over San Jose in November.

"(Reimer's) really played well. He's reading plays well, making key saves," Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said after the game. "I thought we were doing a real good job. (We) got a little bit loose at the end, like in the last five minutes, where we got caught on a couple long shifts, but he was there when we made the early puck mistakes in the first period, and turned it over at the blueline (and) gave him a two-on-one, he made key saves that allowed us to jump out to a lead."

What is unmistakable is that the Sabres have played like a different team in recent weeks with their oldest player between the pipes, and have not displayed the same success with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in goal. The club performed well in the second-half last season after handing the big Finn the starting job and sending Devon Levi to Rochester. His performance convinced the Sabres to lock up the 26-year-old Finn on a five-year contract extension last summer, but he has not performed at the same level at any point this campaign.

Luukkonen is 3-7-0 since March 1, with a 4.11 GAA and .848 save %, lowering his season record to .500 (23-23-4) and his save percentage to a sub-par .885. The Sabres have eight games remaining, starting with a three-game homestand vs. Tampa Bay on Saturday night, and based on how his goaltenders have performed recently, it is not a stretch to think that Ruff will stick with the hot hand for the remaining two weeks of the season.