Sabres’ Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen making game-changing saves, finding form

BUFFALO – In earning his third win in his last four starts, Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen enjoyed another light workload, facing just 19 shots in nearly 65 minutes of action in Monday’s 3-2 overtime win against the Boston Bruins.

Still, the Sabres’ first road victory since Jan. 21 stands out as one of the Finn’s most notable outings in recent months.

As he has endured an inconsistent and underwhelming campaign, only occasionally recapturing his dynamic form of last season, he has often failed to provide critical, game-changing stops.

“Oh, 100 percent,” Luukkonen replied following Sunday’s practice in KeyBank Center when asked if those big saves have been missing from his game.

The numbers certainly back that up. Through 50 appearances this season, he has registered a .783 high-danger save percentage, according to NHL Edge, down from .830 last year. The league average has been .806 since the start of last season.

On Monday, Luukkonen supplied those pivotal stops. With Sabres trailing 2-1, he calmly stymied sniper David Pastrnak’s breakaway attempt 7:36 into the second period. With the game tied at 2, he hurried into position to stop Elias Lindholm’s shot from the bottom of the right circle 14:47 into the third period.

Those saves, of course, uplift teammates, infuse confidence and help generate victories.

It’s important to note Luukkonen, 26, hasn’t been letting in soft goals in front of the last-place Sabres.

“Not even like bad goals or anything,” he told the Times Herald. “But you want to make the save to kind of keep the team in it, and I feel like when you get late into the season and we’ve kind of been battling through it, some of those moments, it’s really deflating almost. That’s when the games get out of control, and I feel it shows up in our game.

“So coming up with the big saves, and I feel like playing a little bit more confident and like kind of trusting my own game again, I think that’s going to be a big thing.”

The Sabres paid Luukkonen to be their backbone, awarding him a five-year, $23.75 million contract following a breakout season in which he recorded a 2.57 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage in 2023-24.

So far, he hasn’t lived up to expectations. The numbers he has registered this season – a 23-21-4 record with a 3.16 goals-against average and an .888 save percentage – are hardly that of a difference-maker.

Entering Tuesday’s schedule, since the NHL resumed play following the 4 Nations Face-Off, Luukkonen had allowed more goals – a whopping 37 in 11 contests – than any goalie. No one had let in more than 30.

Naturally, the statistics he has compiled in that stretch – a 5-5-0 mark with a 3.65 goals-against average and an .863 save percentage – are weak.

In recent games, however, Luukkonen and the Sabres have performed much better. In Saturday afternoon’s 4-3 shootout win, he looked sharp as the Sabres limited the Vegas Golden Knights to 19 shots. After Thursday’s 7-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, everyone needed a bounce-back effort.

Luukkonen said he feels “like I got to be better.”

“Of course, there’s more than the numbers show,” said Luukkonen, whose late point-blank stop March 10 on Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl kept the Sabres up 3-2. “But in the end, you can always kind of say what you want, like kind of say something about how we played as a team in some of those games. But in the end, I got to be better, too. I feel like that’s kind of the thing with our whole team.

“Everybody has to be better, everybody has to figure out their own game and what to do better, and kind of build it from there.”

The 6-foot-5, 223-pound Luukkonen has been trying to find his elite form while carrying his heaviest workload ever. Entering Tuesday’s schedule, only two goalies – Andrei Vasilevskiy and Connor Hellebuyck – had played more games this season.

At his current pace, Luukkonen would play 62 times over a full schedule. He played a career-high 54 contests last season. A Sabres goalie hasn’t cracked the 60-game mark since Ryan Miller played 61 in 2011-12.

“When the games have been kind of ramping up and we play more kind of toward the end of the season, you kind of can feel it,” Luukkonen said of playing so often. “But I’m really happy that I get to play a lot. I’m really happy about the confidence the coaches and the team has in me.”

Still, Luukkonen said his body “feels fine.”

“I feel I’m not tired or anything, so it’s all good,” he said.

The Sabres’ faith in him means a lot.

“There’s been some rough stretches where I haven’t played the way I want to,” he said. “Still getting the starts, it’s been great.”

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said Luukkonen has experienced “ups and downs.”

“Sometimes it’s tough to judge your goalie’s performance when you look at what he’s been facing,” he said. “But I think from an energy standpoint, he’s handling it fine. Mentally, he’s welcomed the challenge, he likes to play.”

Notes: The Sabres on Tuesday sent winger Isak Rosen back to the Rochester Americans. … The Sabres had Tuesday off. They continue their four-game road trip Thursday against Utah Hockey Club, their first visit to Salt Lake City. … Winger Brett Murray on Monday played his first game for the Sabres since Dec. 15, 2023.