Buffalo Sabres: Luukkonen must find motivation through adversity

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen became the odd-man-out late in the season when Devon Levi arrived in the Queen City. 

Perhaps no one on the Buffalo Sabres faced more adversity than goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. In January, he played so well that you could have at least labeled him a darkhorse to win the Calder, and he had us all convinced he could possibly be ‘the guy’ for the foreseeable future while Devon Levi developed his pro game in the AHL.

Unfortunately for Luukkonen, it didn’t happen that way, and his game took a turn for the worst in February and throughout March. How bad was he? In eight of his final 13 starts, Luukkonen allowed four goals or more, but that was just the tip of a gigantic iceberg.

Per Stat Muse, he finished January with a 0.907 save percentage and a 3.05 GAA. Not great numbers, but solid, to say the least. In February, his numbers unfortunately dropped to a save percentage of just 0.858 and a 5.03 GAA, before he followed up with a 3.88 GAA and a 0.879 save percentage in March.

Despite a solid outing in the Sabres 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on April 1st, Luukkonen never saw himself lining up between the pipes for the rest of the season. The Sabres believed Levi gave them their best chance to win, and given the rookie’s performances, they weren’t wrong.

Buffalo Sabres goaltender must find motivation this offseason

Of course, this was upsetting for Luukkonen, but he was also wise enough to know why Levi was getting reps while he either sat on the bench or in the press box. So for the 24-year-old, the Summer of 2023 should be all about getting better and preparing himself for a battle that could take place when training camp rolls around, assuming all things remain as is on the goaltender front.

Through this recent adversity, Luukkonen’s best bet is to use it as motivation. He was spurned in favor of Devon Levi, and if he’s a true competitor, he’s going to work on his weaknesses, many of which were strengths for Levi.

Levi moved better from side to side, and he also positioned his glove in a way that Luukkonen struggled with all season. Luukkonen also struggled during shootouts while Levi won both of his outings, mainly because the latter’s positioning took most of the net away while Luukkonen left shooting lanes open.

Luukkonen also had to deal with a three goaltender rotation, something I actually saw coming last offseason, and that alone was a tough situation to deal with. If Luukkonen does what’s necessary to prep himself for 2023-24, then he can make his case for forging a one-two combo with Levi, who, at this point, is the presumed starter.

Source: With Devon Levi in Buffalo, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen still sees future with Sabres by Bill Hoppe, BuffaloHockeyBeat.com

(Statistics provided by Stat-Muse)