The Buffalo Sabres sent Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to Rochester in Sunday’s paper transaction, but he still got the nod on Monday.
Everyone, even those in Buffalo Sabres circles, thought Craig Anderson or Eric Comrie would start between the pipes on Monday thanks to the transaction that briefly took Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen off the roster. Then shortly before the game, head coach Don Granato tabbed UPL as the starting goaltender, and the Finn once again did not disappoint.
Luukkonen didn’t have his best outing, but he still stopped 30 of 33 shots on goal, good for a 0.909 save percentage. It was a sound follow up to his performance in Nashville, where he stopped 38 of 41 from finding twine, ending up with a 0.927 save percentage.
It’s also worth noting that Eric Comrie, the man slated to be the top goaltender in the net this season, has appeared in just one game since he was cleared to return. That start came against the Seattle Kraken, and Comrie saved18 of 22 shots on goal. Not the performance he was looking for upon his return.
Buffalo Sabres making the right decision with Luukkonen
Overall, Comrie was nothing more than someone signed to bridge the gap, to start at goaltender until presumably Luukkonen was ready to take over the top spot. We knew that we would see Luukkonen at some point this season, but we didn’t know when.
Comrie’s injury gave us the answer. And while Luukkonen struggled early, he has since gotten it together and earned a spot on the Sabres roster. Not that he would stick around if he were to suffer through a string of bad performances. But as it stands, Luukkonen is, and should be, the number one netminder on this hockey team.
That said, let’s hope Comrie figures it out. Craig Anderson is 41 and averaged one start per week since the season began. If Comrie gets it together, the Sabres will have a serviceable backup goaltender in 2023-24. And if Luukkonen continues to improve, he will be the top guy in the net when October 2023 rolls around.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
Article Source: Observations: Sabres fall to Florida after Luukkonen gets endorsement as the top dog in goal by Lance Lysowski
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