Player Bio
| HT/WT: 6-5, 223 lbs |
| Birthplace: Espoo, Finland |
| Age: 27 |
| Experience: 6 |
| Shoots: Left |
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1:48Jets Sign Goalie Stuart Skinner to 2-Year Deal
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1:46Sabres' Expectations for Next Season
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1:07Keys to Winning Game 7
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6:38Golden Knights Advance; Canadiens Take Series Lead
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1:26Canadiens Dominate Sabres in Game 5, Take Series Lead
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1:09Breaking Down Canadiens vs. Sabres Pivotal Game 5
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1:13Breaking Down the Canadiens vs. Sabres Playoff Matchup
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1:53Blackhawks Sign Bowen Byram to 6-Year, $75M Extension
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0:34Jon Cooper Wins Jack Adams Award for Top NHL Coach
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1:19Canadiens Muster Only 43 Shots in Past 3 Games
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0:57Canadiens Look to Stave Off Elimination in Game 5
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0:44
Better Matchup for Golden Knights: Canes or Canadiens?
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1:41Highlights: Canadiens at Hurricanes (5/21)
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1:35Impact of a Long Layoff In Action For Hurricanes
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0:58Bigger Storyline: Carolina Rust or Montreal Fatigue
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1:49Why the Canadiens Will Upset the Hurricanes
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1:37Canadiens Top Sabres in Classic, Advance to ECF
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1:57Jakub Dobes Doing HIs Best Patrick Roy Impersonation In Montreal
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Top Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen News
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Sustains undisclosed injury
Luukkonen left Saturday's 3-1 preseason loss against Pittsburgh because of an undisclosed injury, per Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.
Luukkonen's issue was described as a "tweak" and the decision to pull him precautionary, so it's still possible that he'll be available for Buffalo's season opener in Columbus on Thursday. However, the timing is especially bad for the Sabres, who were already missing Alex Lyon (upper body). If Lyon and Luukkonen are both unavailable for the start of 2026-27, then Colten Ellis would likely be leaned on heavily at the beginning of the campaign.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Guarding home crease
Luukkonen will defend the home goal in Saturday's preseason contest against the Penguins, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.
Luukkonen will get the nod to play in the Sabres' preseason finale before Buffalo opens their season on Thursday. The 27-year-old backstop looked sharp in his lone preseason outing, where he stopped all of the 13 shots he saw in a 5-1 win over Columbus. He played just two periods in that game, so Luukkonen could be in line to play all of Saturday's contest as a ramp-up outing ahead of the regular season. He is expected to serve in a time share alongside Alex Lyon and potentially Colten Ellis to begin the 2026-27 season.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Perfect in preseason start
Luukkonen turned aside all 13 shots he faced during Tuesday's 5-1 preseason win over the Blue Jackets.
Luukkonen made his first start of the 2026-27 preseason Tuesday and played two periods. Colten Ellis entered the game in the third period. Luukkonen will battle Alex Lyon for playing time this campaign, and Ellis could be in the mix. Across 35 regular-season appearances with Buffalo last year, Luukkonen went 22-9-3 with a 2.51 GAA and a .909 save percentage.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Slated to start Tuesday
Luukkonen is expected to start between the pipes at home in Tuesday's preseason contest against the Blue Jackets, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550.
Luukkonen is set make his first appearance of the 2026-27 preseason after fellow netminders Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis appeared in the team's opener. The 27-year-old Luukkonen had a bounce-back season in 2025-26, where he posted a 22-9-3 record, a 2.51 GAA and a .909 save percentage across 35 regular-season outings. Head coach Lindy Ruff stated that he plans to implement a timeshare in net to start the 2026-27 campaign, which will cap Luukkonen's fantasy ceiling. However, if he can impress early on and separate himself from Lyon and Ellis, Luukkonen has proven that he can handle a large workload, which could lead to fantasy success in standard leagues.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Expected to share net once again in 2026-27
Head coach Lindy Ruff said Wednesday that Luukkonen and the Sabres' other goaltenders will likely share the net early in the 2026-27 campaign, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.
The Sabres utilized a timeshare in the crease for most of the 2025-26 campaign, and that trend is expected to continue into the 2026-27 season. Luukkonen should share playing time with Alex Lyon, as well as Colten Ellis if he's included on the Opening Night roster. The Sabres and the rest of the NHL have an abbreviated training camp ahead of the regular season, so it isn't particularly surprising that the team will use a timeshare to preserve the long-term health of its goaltenders.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Heartbreaking OT loss in Game 7
Luukkonen stopped 22 shots Monday during the Sabres' 3-2 overtime loss to the Canadiens in Game 7 of their second-round series.
Montreal grabbed a 2-0 lead on a Zachary Bolduc power-play goal late in the first period, but Luukkonen locked things down for the rest of regulation as Buffalo rallied to tie it. The Sabres' luck ran out in OT, though, as Alex Newhook beat Luukkonen through traffic midway through the first extra frame. The 27-year-old netminder wound up appearing in six of Buffalo's 13 games during the playoffs, posting a 3.18 GAA and .876 save percentage -- a step back from the regular season, when he delivered a 22-9-3 record in 35 outings with a 2.51 GAA and .909 save percentage. With both Luukkonen and Alex Lyon under contract for 2026-27, the Sabres could continue to roll with a tandem in the crease next season.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Looking to advance to ECF
Luukkonen will be between the home pipes for Game 7 against the Canadiens on Monday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.
Luukkonen didn't get the start in Saturday's Game 6 win, but he replaced Alex Lyon in the first period and helped the Sabres force a Game 7 in Buffalo. The 27-year-old Luukkonen has stopped 65 of 72 shots during this second-round series, going 2-1 across three appearances. Overall in the 2026 postseason, the Finnish netminder is 3-2 with a 3.36 GAA and an .875 save percentage over five outings. The Canadiens are making a few changes to their bottom six for Game 7, including Oliver Kapanen drawing into the lineup for Joe Veleno.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Stabilizes crease in Game 6
Luukkonen stopped all 18 shots he faced in relief of Alex Lyon in an 8-3 win over the Canadiens in Game 6 on Saturday.
Luukkonen was brought in midway through the first period with the Sabres facing a 3-1 deficit. He did his job, turning into a brick wall while the Sabres' offense broke through in a big way at the other end of the rink. Luukkonen is now 2-1 with seven goals allowed on 72 shots over three appearances in the second round. It's likely he gets the nod in Game 7 on Monday with the season on the line for both teams and an Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Hurricanes going to the winner.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Gets hook in Game 5
Luukkonen allowed five goals on 23 shots Thursday before being replaced by Alex Lyon to begin the third period during the Sabres' 6-3 loss to the Canadiens in Game 5 of their second-round series.
Buffalo actually took a 3-2 lead into the first intermission, but the team's defensive woes piled up over the final 40 minutes as the game slipped away. Luukkonen wasn't exactly sharp either, however, and he looked shaky on what proved to be the game-winning goal late in the second period -- Ivan Demidov's shot somehow got past him on the short side, and the puck fell into the crease for Jake Evans to poke home. With the Sabres' season on the line and neither of the team's top two goalies playing particularly well, coach Lindy Ruff will have a tough decision to make between the pipes for Game 6 on Saturday. Over four outings this postseason, Luukkonen has a 4.20 GAA and .851 save percentage.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Back in goal for Game 5
Luukkonen will protect the home goal versus the Canadiens in Game 5 on Thursday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.
Luukkonen will get the start again after picking up a win with a 29-save effort in Montreal on Tuesday in Game 4. The 27-year-old is now 2-1 with nine goals allowed on 71 shots over three appearances this postseason. The Canadiens have yet to lose consecutive games in the playoffs, so this could be a tough matchup for Luukkonen at a pivotal point in the second-round series.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Nabs win in return to crease
Luukkonen made 28 saves in a 3-2 win over the Canadiens in Game 4 on Tuesday.
In his first appearance since Game 2 of Buffalo's opening-round series against Boston, Luukkonen surrendered two first-period tallies, one on a Montreal power play, before locking things down. He was superb while giving his team a chance to mount a comeback and tie the series at 2-2. The performance will likely keep Luukkonen between the pipes for Game 5 back in Buffalo on Thursday. Through three postseason games, the 27-year-old netminder has a 3.37 GAA and .871 save percentage.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Tending twine in Game 4
Luukkonen will defend the road net against Montreal on Tuesday in Game 4, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Luukkonen allowed seven goals on 40 shots en route to a 1-1 record in Buffalo's first-round series against Boston. He made 32 saves in a 4-2 win over Montreal on Jan. 22 during the 2025-26 regular season. The door is open for Luukkonen to reclaim the No. 1 spot between the pipes after Alex Lyon surrendered nine goals on 63 shots over the Sabres' last two losses.
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