Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Picks up win over Columbus
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Luukkonen stopped 24 of 26 shots in Friday's 5-2 win over the Blue Jackets.
This was Luukkonen's second win in a row. After working as the Sabres' primary goalie for much of October, Luukkonen appears to have settled into an even timeshare with Colten Ellis to begin November. Luukkonen is up to 5-3-3 with a 3.27 GAA and an .878 save percentage across 11 games (10 starts) this season. If the goalie rotation holds, Ellis would start Sunday versus the Golden Knights and Luukkonen would face the Lightning on Wednesday.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Set to start Friday
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Luukkonen is expected to be in goal at home versus the Blue Jackets on Friday, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
Luukkonen has appeared in 10 games this season, going 4-3-3 with a 3.40 GAA and a career-worst .874 save percentage. At this point, Luukkonen will likely continue to rotate the starts with Colten Ellis, and could face the prospect of even fewer opportunities once Alex Lyon (upper body) is cleared to return.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Earns win Saturday
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Luukkonen stopped 27 of 29 shots in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Kings.
Luukkonen delivered a solid performance in his 200th career NHL game, helping Buffalo extend its winning streak to three contests while earning his first win since Oct. 15. The netminder has been slumping a bit lately, winning just two of his last five outings (2-1-2) while posting a 3.35 GAA and .890 save percentage over that stretch. Colten Ellis had started the previous two games, so it remains to be seen whether there will be a time-share in the Sabres' crease going forward.
Luukkonen will defend the road net against the Kings on Saturday, per Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News.
Luukkonen has lost his last three outings (0-1-2), allowing 11 goals on 95 shots. He has a 3-3-3 record, a 3.56 GAA and an .866 save percentage in nine appearances this campaign. Los Angeles (4-6-2) ranks 24th in the league this season with 2.83 goals per game.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Takes overtime loss
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Luukkonen stopped 30 of 34 shots in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Capitals.
The Sabres jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, but Luukkonen gave it all back almost as fast. He's now winless in his last three starts, allowing 11 goals on 95 shots in that span. For the season, the 27-year-old has a 3-3-3 record with a 3.56 GAA and an .866 save percentage across nine games. Luukkonen remains the Sabres' top option in goal ahead of Colten Ellis, but with a tough road trip through California for the week ahead, Luukkonen may best be left on the bench in fantasy.
Luukkonen will patrol the road crease in Saturday's road clash against the Capitals, per Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.
Luukkonen will look to leave his shaky start behind him in Saturday's clash after being narrowly defeated in each of his last two outings. Across eight appearances to open the 2026-27 season, the 27-year-old backstop has a 3-3-2 record, a 3.54 GAA and an .864 save percentage. While Alex Lyon (upper body) remains on injured reserve, Luukkonen remains the lead option between the pipes, which should keep him relevant in fantasy despite his struggles. He'll have his work cut out for him Saturday, however, as the Capitals rank 11th in the NHL with 3.33 goals per game this season. Luukkonen is a high-risk, high-reward fantasy option for Saturday's slate.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Allows three goals in loss
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Luukkonen stopped 23 of 26 shots in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Flyers.
Luukkonen is 1-1-2 with 14 goals allowed over his last four games. He's struggled to get settled early in the season, allowing at least three goals in seven of eight games so far. He's still mustered a 3-3-2 record with a 3.53 GAA and an .863 save percentage. Until Luukkonen shows more consistency between the pipes, he's not a particularly strong fantasy option with a large share of playing time. The Sabres' next game is Saturday on the road versus the Capitals to kick off a four-game road trip.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Slated to face Philadelphia
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Luukkonen is expected to start at home against Philadelphia on Wednesday, per Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.
Luukkonen has a 3-2-2 record, 3.59 GAA and .860 save percentage in seven appearances this season. He has allowed at least three goals in each of his past three games, but he has also had to face at least 30 shots in each of those tilts. Philadelphia is 2-6-3 while averaging a league-worst 1.55 goals per game, but the Flyers might be more dangerous than that implies after winning their past two games while outscoring the competition 6-3.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Beaten four times in OT loss
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Luukkonen stopped 30 of 34 shots in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Canadiens.
Luukkonen endured another difficult outing against Montreal, having also allowed three goals in Tuesday's shootout loss to the same opponent. Despite facing 34 shots and making several important saves, he finished with an .882 save percentage and couldn't prevent Cole Caufield's overtime winner. The 27-year-old has surrendered seven goals across his last two starts, raising concerns about his short-term fantasy reliability, and he's also posted a save percentage below the .890 mark in five of his seven outings to date. His workload remains encouraging, but improved defensive support and consistency will be necessary for better results.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Falls to Habs in shootout
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Luukkonen stopped 35 shots in regulation and overtime but zero of three shootout attempts in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to Montreal.
The netminder did well just to earn a point in the standings for the Sabres, as the visitors were out-shot 38-17 in regulation and overtime, including a 5-0 advantage for the Canadiens in OT. Luukkonen's luck ran out in the shootout however, as Cole Caufield, Alexandre Texier and Zachary Bolduc all found the back of the net. Luukkonen is 2-2-1 through five appearances to begin the season with a 3.45 GAA and .850 save percentage, but he won't face much of a challenge for the top spot in the crease while Alex Lyon (upper body) remains on the shelf.
Luukkonen will protect the road goal versus the Canadiens on Tuesday, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.
Luukkonen has struggled in his starts this season, but he earned a win in relief on Monday after a bad game from Colten Ellis. Luukkonen has allowed 13 goals on 69 shots, and considering the Sabres are on the second half of a back-to-back, including travel, he'll be a risky fantasy play against Montreal.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Gets first win
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Luukkonen made 12 saves in a 4-3 win over Chicago on Saturday.
Luukkonen is kryptonite to Chicago -- he's now 7-0-0 in his career against the team. But he's still finding his feet this season. UPL has allowed eight goals in two games (1-1-0), and his 4.03 GAA and .784 save percentage are a touch queasy. Backup Colten Ellis will get a shot at the blue paint soon and Alex Lyon (upper body) isn't supposed to miss much time. Luukkonen needs to lay down some strong performances to keep the net.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: In goal Saturday
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Luukkonen will patrol the home crease against Chicago on Saturday, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550.
Luukkonen surrendered five goals on 22 shots, with the sixth tally being an empty-netter, in Thursday's 6-3 loss to Columbus. He has posted a 6-0-0 record with a 1.67 GAA and a .928 save percentage in six career regular-season outings against Chicago. The Blackhawks (0-2-0) have scored two goals in two games this campaign.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Slated starter for Thursday
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Luukkonen (lower body) is slated to start on the road against Columbus on Thursday, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550.
There was some question about Luukkonen's availability after he tweaked something in his lower body during Saturday's preseason game against Pittsburgh, but it seems he's good to go. The netminder had a 22-9-3 record, 2.51 GAA and .909 save percentage in 35 regular-season outings with the Sabres in 2025-26. Luukkonen is expected to serve as Buffalo's No. 1 option this season, but he'll be competing for playing time with Alex Lyon (upper body) and Colten Ellis.
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
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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: Heartbreaking OT loss in Game 7
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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: Stabilizes crease in Game 6
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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: Secures Game 1 win
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Luukkonen allowed three goals on 20 shots in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Bruins in Game 1.
It wasn't looking good for the Sabres for much of the game, but they rallied for four goals in a span of 6:46 during the third period. That gave them just enough of a cushion to weather a late comeback attempt by the Bruins. While it was far from a pretty outing, Luukkonen was able to get the win in his playoff debut. He had a good regular season with a 22-9-3 record, a 2.51 GAA and a .909 save percentage over 35 appearances. Luukkonen is set to be the Sabres' No. 1 goalie to start the postseason, though any struggles could open the door for Alex Lyon to get some game action. The Sabres host Game 2 on Tuesday.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Set for playoff debut
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Luukkonen will be between the home pipes in Game 1 against the Bruins on Sunday, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.
Luukkonen finished the regular season on a high note, winning three straight games and seven of his final nine. Across that nine-game stretch, the Finnish netminder surrendered more than three goals on just one occasion. The lone rough patch happened to come against the Bruins, though, a matchup in which Luukkonen allowed four goals on 31 shots in a 4-3 overtime loss March 25. Boston struggled away from TD Garden in 2025-26, posting a 16-16-9 record on the road, while the Sabres finished the regular season with a 26-10-5 record at KeyBank Center.
