Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped all 28 shots sent his way on Tuesday night to secure his first shutout of the season as the Buffalo Sabres scored an impressive 2-0 road win over the Vegas Golden Knights.
Although the Sabres' goalies have provided the foundation for the team's extraordinary stretch of success since early December — UPL, Alex Lyon and Colten Ellis have combined to post a .915 save percentage during the club's 31-6-2 run over the past 39 games — one critical question is starting to enter the spotlight for head coach Lindy Ruff.
Who's going to start Game 1 of Buffalo's first-round playoff series?
The Sabres haven't officially clinched a postseason berth to end the franchise's 14-year playoff drought, but they're closing in on that long-awaited moment. They're nine points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are currently ninth in the Eastern Conference, with 14 games remaining.
A clear goaltending choice may emerge over the final month of the regular season but, at least for now, it feels like a true toss-up.
UPL's campaign got off to a sluggish start after he arrived to training camp injured. He's since found top form with a .919 SV% over his past 17 outings. He's made a strong case to reemerge as Buffalo's long-term No. 1 goalie for next season and beyond, which may factor into Ruff's decision.
Meanwhile, Lyon has an argument as the team's MVP this season. He kept the Blue and Gold afloat early on while Luukkonen was hurt and the offense was sputtering. His .912 SV% is the team's best mark, and he's the only netminder on the roster with postseason experience (four games as a member of the Florida Panthers in 2023).
Ellis has often served as the game-night backup to allow UPL and Lyon to fully rest during games they don't start, but the former St. Louis Blues prospect isn't a factor in the playoff starter discussion.
So, Ruff will soon have to decide between Luukkonen and Lyon for who gets the crease for Game 1, and then he'll need to figure out whether he wants to maintain some form of goalie rotation for the postseason, or if he'll hitch the Sabres' wagon to a single goaltender.
It's a choice that'll be easily criticized if things don't go Buffalo's way in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs but both netminders have played a crucial role in the team's success, so the coaching staff may lose some sleep trying to make the right call.
For now, let's jump into the newest installment of our Sabres player grades series after a well-executed road game against the Golden Knights.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stonewalls the Vegas Golden Knights to carry the Buffalo Sabres to a March 17 victory
Sabres player grades
Player | Grade (1-10) |
|---|---|
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | 10 |
Josh Doan | 9 |
Josh Norris | 8.5 |
Peyton Krebs | 8 |
Mattias Samuelsson | 7.5 |
Rasmus Dahlin | 7 |
Zach Benson | 7 |
Tage Thompson | 6.5 |
Noah Ostlund | 6 |
Beck Malenstyn | 5.5 |
Ryan McLeod | 5.5 |
Sam Carrick | 5 |
Zach Metsa | 5 |
Bowen Byram | 4.5 |
Logan Stanley | 4.5 |
Jack Quinn | 4 |
Tyson Kozak | 4 |
Owen Power | 3.5 |
Jason Zucker | 3 |
Buffalo Player of the Game: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
A funny thing happened as UPL began turning away the Golden Knights: Sabres fans, who either live in Las Vegas or were visiting the Entertainment Capital of the World, started to shout "LUUUUUUK," making it sound more like the KeyBank Center than T-Mobile Arena.
"I love that," Luukkonen told reporters. "I appreciate all our fans. It's always great to see them on the road, and especially in games like this, where we're fighting [with a] one-goal lead. It's a huge thing for us, and for me personally."
The 27-year-old Finland native was sharp all night. His rebound control, which is a problem from time to time, was terrific as he was able to prevent a high-powered Vegas roster from getting any extra looks from the inner slot.
Luukkonen has come a long way since his early-season struggles, and it's revitalized his future outlook after a subpar 2024-25 season that raised questions about how long he'd remain in Buffalo.
Sabres quick hits
- Josh Doan showed off his high hockey IQ by banking in a first-period goal off Vegas goalie Adin Hill after some Knights confusion behind the net.
- Josh Norris added an empty-netter for Buffalo.
- Alex Tuch missed the game with an illness. It's unrelated to the injury that previously forced him out of the lineup.
- Zach Benson took a hard hit from Brayden McNabb and looked in some distress, but the winger quickly returned to the bench.
- Tage Thompson hasn't registered any points over the past four games after tallying at least one point in 11 straight contests.
- Mattias Samuelsson played nearly four minutes of penalty-killing time as Buffalo turned away all three of Vegas' three power-play attempts.
- The Sabres (42-20-6) continue their four-game road trip Thursday night (10 p.m. ET) when they make a stop at the SAP Center to battle the San Jose Sharks (32-28-6).