Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Moves to injured reserve
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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: Falls to Florida in shootout
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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.
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
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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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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Concedes two goals in win
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Luukkonen saved 17 of 19 shots on goal in Monday's 3-2 overtime win against Boston.
Outside of the two goals Boston scored in the first period, Luukkonen kept Buffalo's net clean across the final 50 minutes of action Monday. With the overtime win, the 26-year-old netminder has a 23-21-4 record with a 3.16 GAA and an .888 save percentage in 50 appearances this season. Luukkonen's primary value in fantasy rests in his heavy usage for Buffalo, as he has appeared in all but five games since the calendar flipped to 2025. While he has struggled over the course of this year, Luukkonen has won three of his last four starts and is trending in the right direction. His next opportunity to take the ice is Thursday against Utah.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Starting in Boston
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Luukkonen will tend the road twine Monday against the Bruins, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.
After losing four straight games, Luukkonen has won two of his last three. Those two victories account for all of his wins in March -- he's 2-5-0 with an .854 save percentage and a 4.19 GAA across seven outings this month. Luukkonen has a favorable matchup against a Boston squad that has dropped five of its last seven contests and sits 25th in the NHL with 2.71 goals per game this season. The Finnish netminder has a 3-4-1 record, .892 save percentage and 3.96 GAA over nine career outings against the Bruins.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Back in win column
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Luukkonen stopped 32 shots in Monday's 3-2 win over the Oilers.
He was the busier goaltender on the night, but Luukkonen stood tall to secure his first win since Feb. 25 and snap a four-start losing streak. The 26-year-old has been inconsistent since the 4 Nations Face-Off break, going 3-4-0 over his last eight outings with a 3.57 GAA and an .877 save percentage.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Drawing home start
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Luukkonen will tend the home twine Monday versus the Oilers, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.
Luukkonen has lost four consecutive games while posting an .853 save percentage and a 4.40 GAA in that span. It won't get any easier Monday against an Oilers club that sits ninth in the NHL with 3.25 goals per game this season and has won three of its last four contests. Luukkonen is 1-1-0 and has conceded 10 goals on 71 shots over two career outings against Edmonton.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Gets no help against Cats
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Luukkonen stopped 32 of 35 shots in Saturday's 4-0 loss to the Panthers, with Florida's final goal getting scored into an empty net.
The 26-year-old netminder took his fourth straight loss, as the Buffalo offense failed to get off the plane in South Florida. Luukkonen hasn't done himself any favors of late either, posting a 4.40 GAA and .853 save percentage during his March losing streak as the Sabres sink to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Starting in Florida
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Luukkonen will guard the visiting net in Florida on Saturday, according to Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.
Luukkonen has lost three straight games, allowing 14 goals on 81 shots in losses to Montreal, San Jose and Tampa Bay. Luukkonen is 20-19-4 with a pair of shutouts, a 3.14 GAA and an .890 save percentage across 45 appearances this season. The Panthers are averaging 3.25 goals per game in 2024-25, eighth in the NHL.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Third straight loss
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Luukkonen made 20 saves in a 6-5 loss to the Lightning on Thursday.
This was a bit of a pond hockey game, where the Sabres went up 5-3 midway through the second before the Bolts struck three times to take the win. Luukkonen has lost three straight starts after getting pulled 7:57 into a game against the Canes at the end of February. Before that, he was on a 6-2-0 run. Luukkonen is now 20-19-4 with two shutouts, a 3.14 GAA and .890 save percentage in 45 starts.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Slated to start Thursday
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Luukkonen is expected to guard the cage on the road against the Lightning on Thursday, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
Luukkonen will face a tough matchup in a Bolts squad that loaded up offensively ahead of the deadline. The 25-year-old netminder has been struggling of late, going 2-3-0 in his last six appearances while registering a 3.77 GAA and .854 save percentage. That poor run includes losses to San Jose, Nashville and Montreal -- none of which are currently in a playoff spot -- so facing the Lightning is far from an ideal matchup.
