Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has struggled for the most part, but the young Buffalo Sabres goaltender put together sound performances as of late.
The Buffalo Sabres were in danger of squandering their 3-0 lead against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. While they prevailed, a breakaway goal put Vegas within two before they emptied the net and scored again with just over two minutes left in the contest.
Had the Blue and Gold blown the game, it would be hard to place the blame squarely on goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s shoulders. Outshot 43-18, the Sabres didn’t do much to help the young goaltender.
But last night, Luukkonen had their back. Here are three reasons why UPL’s performance in the third was one of the most memorable moments of the season.
1 – The Buffalo Sabres were stuck in their own zone
It seemed as though the Sabres neglected to play any type of offense during the third period, and time of possession rested heavily in Vegas’ favor. Because of this, Buffalo barely gave their goaltender a break all period long, and resorted to perpetually icing the puck late when the Knights emptied their net. Luukkonen held his own, and ended up saving 21 for 23 shots on goal (0.913) in the third.
2 – Vegas’ total number of shots on goal
In the third period, Vegas logged 23 shots on goal, giving them a total of 43 for the game. If you do the math, 53.4% of them came in the third frame, while the Buffalo Sabres logged a measly five. And it wasn’t like Vegas was taking poor shot selections. Honestly, you could write a book on how many highlight reel save Luukkonen had to make just to keep the Blue and Gold afloat throughout the third frame.
3 – Vegas’ total number of scoring and high danger chances
Per Natural Stat Trick, the Sabres allowed 22 scoring chances and seven high danger chances in the third. Meanwhile, they had just four scoring and two high danger chances over the same span. Somehow, Luukkonen managed to keep his composure throughout, despite finally allowing two goals.
Overall, it was a game that, had it been played two weeks ago, Luukkonen would have struggled and the Buffalo Sabres were most likely not going to win. But with more experience in the net, the game might just be slowing down for the star-crossed goaltender. If he keeps this up during the remainder of time incumbent starter Eric Comrie misses with injury, he might see more playing time in the NHL this season than we originally thought.
(Statistics provided by Natural Stat Trick and Hockey-Reference)
Article Source: Observations: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is an ace again as Sabres hold off Vegas to sweep road trip by Mike Harrington
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