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1:00Highlights: Blackhawks at Sabres (12/27)
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Top Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen News
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Moves to injured reserve
Luukkonen (lower body) was placed on injured reserve Monday.
Head coach Lindy Ruff said Friday that Luukkonen would be re-evaluated in a week. The Finnish netminder has already been ruled out for Opening Night versus the Rangers on Thursday, and the club will likely utilize extreme caution with its No. 1 netminder, especially considering he is dealing with a lower-body injury.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Officially ruled out Thursday
Luukkonen (lower body), as expected, was officially ruled out against the Rangers on Thursday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.
Luukkonen was expected to miss at least a week to open the season, so his absence for Opening Night shouldn't come as a surprise. With the 26-year-old backstop on the shelf, Alex Lyon looks poised to play Thursday -- though head coach Lindy Ruff hasn't officially named a starter. Despite missing the early part of the year, Luukkonen should still reach the 50-game threshold this year as the Sabres' No. 1 option in the crease, assuming he can shake off his injury issues.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Set to miss at least one week
Luukkonen (lower body) will be re-evaluated in a week, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports, effectively ruling him out Opening Night against the Rangers on Thursday.
Head coach Lindy Ruff clarified that Luukkonen's injury is a new issue and not the same one that kept him out of training camp. With the 26-year-old backstop on the shelf, it will likely be Alex Lyon who gets the nod versus the Rangers, though Alexandar Georgiev should also be in the mix. Barring an extended absence, Luukkonen should still be capable of reaching the 50-game mark for the third straight year and putting up around 25 wins.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Won't dress Friday
Luukkonen (lower body) will not be available against the Penguins on Friday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.
With Alex Lyon already confirmed as the starter for Friday's preseason finale, it shouldn't come as a surprise to see Luukkonen being held out completely while Alexandar Georgiev serves as the backup. The priority for Buffalo will be getting the 26-year-old Luukkonen healthy in time to face the Rangers in the season opener at home Thursday.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Injured again Wednesday
Luukkonen aggravated his lower-body injury during Wednesday's game versus the Penguins and won't return to the contest.
Luukkonen's injury woes seem likely to linger into the regular season at this point, as this was his first game of the preseason. He had previously been aiming for an Opening Night return, and it appears that accelerating that timeline didn't go well. If Luukkonen misses additional action, expect Alexandar Georgiev and Alex Lyon to share the goaltending duties for the Sabres.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Set to start Wednesday
Luukkonen (lower body) will guard the cage at home against the Penguins on Wednesday, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
Head coach Lindy Ruff hasn't decided if Luukkonen will play two periods or the full game Wednesday, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports. Either way, his return to the crease clears the way for Luukkonen to get the nod for the season opener versus the Rangers on Oct. 9. With Luukkonen cleared to return, one of Alex Lyon or Alexandar Georgiev will likely be shipped down to AHL Rochester.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Anticipating Opening Night return
Luukkonen (lower body) is expecting to be ready for Opening Night against the Rangers on Oct. 9, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports Thursday.
Luukkonen practiced for the first time during training camp Thursday, but look for the team to ease him back into action -- if the netminder plays in a preseason game at all. The Sabres have four more opportunities for Luukkonen to face some rubber before the season opener. In the meantime, Alex Lyon and Alexandar Georgiev figure to continue battling for the No. 2 spot in Buffalo.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Back at practice Thursday
Luukkonen (lower body) returned to practice Thursday, per Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.
Luukkonen will partake in his first practice session in training camp. The 26-year-old starting netminder was 24-24-5 with a 3.20 GAA and an .887 save percentage across 55 regular-season contests in 2024-25. Luukkonen will be challenged for the top spot, as the Sabres signed Alexandar Georgiev and Alex Lyon to compete with Luukkonen and Devon Levi between the pipes.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Improving, not practicing yet
Luukkonen (lower body) hasn't practiced yet during training camp, but he has been making progress, Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News reports Saturday.
The Sabres expect to have more information about Luukkonen's availability by Monday, and the team is hopeful that he could return to the ice at some point next week. The 26-year-old netminder posted a 24-24-5 record with two shutouts, a 3.20 GAA and an .887 save percentage across 55 regular-season appearances in 2024-25.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Suffers offseason injury
Luukkonen reported to training camp with an undisclosed injury, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic reports Friday.
A league source stated that Luukkonen came to camp with a "tweak." The Sabres are not sure as to the severity of the injury, and there is no timetable for a return. Buffalo inked Alexandar Georgiev to a one-year contract Thursday, in case Luukkonen is not ready for the start of the 2025-26 campaign. Luukkonen was 24-24-5 with a pair of shutouts, a 3.20 GAA and an .887 save percentage across 55 regular-season appearances for the Sabres in 2024-25.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Gets no help from teammates
Luukkonen made 28 saves Tuesday in a 4-0 loss to Toronto.
Luukkonen allowed three goals in the loss, while the fourth goal was an empty-netter for Auston Matthews' 400th career goal. Luukkonen is 1-3-1 with 18 goals allowed across his last five starts. His game took a step backward this season after such a strong 2023-24 (2.57 GAA, .910 save percentage). He's 24-24-5 in 55 starts with a queasy 3.20 GAA and an .887 save percentage.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Set to face Toronto
Luukkonen will be between the home pipes against Toronto on Tuesday, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reports.
Luukkonen was excellent in his last start, albeit a loss, turning aside 32 of 34 shots Saturday against the Panthers. The 26-year-old has a 24-23-5 record with two shutouts, a 3.20 GAA and an .886 save percentage over 54 appearances this season. The Leafs are tied for eighth in the NHL with 3.24 goals per game in 2024-25.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Falls to Florida in shootout
Luukkonen stopped 32 shots in regulation and overtime and two of three shootout attempts in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Panthers.
The 26-year-old netminder played well -- his 32 saves were his most in a start in over a month -- but didn't get quite enough help to come away with his 25th win of the season. Luukkonen has lost his grip on the starting job to James Reimer in recent weeks, but the latter will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason and may have priced himself out of Buffalo's plans with his recent performances. Luukkonen, with four more years and $19 million left on his contract, will still be a big part of the goaltending picture for the Sabres in 2025-26.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Defending crease Saturday
Luukkonen will defend the road net against Florida on Saturday, according to Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.
Luukkonen is coming off a 17-save performance in a 6-3 win over Boston on Sunday. He has a 24-23-4 record with two shutouts, a 3.23 GAA and an .885 save percentage through 53 appearances this season. Florida sits 13th in the league with 3.04 goals per game, but Aleksander Barkov (rest) and Sam Reinhart (rest) will be among the team's lengthy list of scratches.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Earns win Sunday
Luukkonen stopped 17 of 20 shots in Sunday's 6-3 win over the Bruins.
Luukkonen returned to the Sabres' crease after not seeing action in the previous three games, and he was able to deliver a solid performance in what was his return to winning ways. Luukkonen had lost his last two outings, and that does nothing but back up the consistency issues the 26-year-old has had all season long. Over his last eight outings, Luukkonen has gone 4-4-0 with a 3.72 GAA and an .856 save percentage.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Defending crease Sunday
Luukkonen will protect the home net against Boston on Sunday, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.
Luukkonen will get the second half of Buffalo's back-to-back after James Reimer played in Saturday's 3-2 shootout win over Tampa Bay. The 26-year-old Luukkonen has lost his last two outings, surrendering 10 goals on 52 shots. He has a 23-23-4 record with two shutouts, a 3.23 GAA and an .885 save percentage across 52 appearances this season. Boston sits 29th in the league with 2.62 goals per game in 2024-25 but won 5-1 against Carolina on Saturday.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Flops against Philly
Luukkonen made 25 saves in Saturday's 7-4 loss to the Flyers.
The Sabres took a 3-2 lead midway through the second period on a Jack Quinn power-play tally, but Luukkonen and the Buffalo defense were simply overwhelmed over the last half of the contest. The 26-year-old goalie has fallen apart in March, coughing up five or more goals in four of his 10 appearances while going 3-7-0 with a 4.11 GAA and .848 save percentage.
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Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-5, 223 lbs |
| Birthplace: Espoo, Finland |
| Age: 26 |
| Experience: 5 |
| Shoots: Left |