Ahead of Game 4, head coach Lindy Ruff took a few risks with the Buffalo Sabres lineup, and one of those was replacing Alex Lyon with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The reason it was a risk was that Lyon wasn't playing poorly, despite giving up nine goals in the past two games.
The good news was that Luukkonen looked excellent down the stretch against the Canadiens and made huge stops in the third period on great scoring chances by Cole Caufield. He would finish the game, stopping 28 of 30 shots, including nine shots on power play.
For the Sabres head coach, it presents an interesting dilemma but an intriguing option moving forward in these playoffs.
Buffalo Sabres should consider evenly rotating Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
One of the strengths of the Sabres' roster this season has been the depth at the goalie position. For most of the second half of the season, the team would alternate starts between Lyon and Luukkonen when both were healthy. It never really felt at any point that either was truly the starter, but it was more of a 1A and 1B situation.
In the playoffs, the Sabres have switched it up and gone more with the hot hand in net. Luukkonen would begin the playoffs as the starter, but after struggling in Game 2 against the Bruins, Alex Lyon would start the next eight games before Luukkonen was back in net for Game 4 against the Canadiens.
During the season, there was a stretch of 25 games where the Sabres did not have a goalie start consecutive games. In that stretch, the Sabres went 18-4-3 and it was one of the big reasons they were able to win the Atlantic Division.
The playoffs are certainly different, and teams traditionally stick with one goalie unless they are struggling. However, Lyon and Luukkonen have shown they can play very well in splitting starts, and it can help keep them fresh. At this point in the season, that could be a significant advantage for the Sabres.
It is certainly a risk and not an easy decision for Lindy Ruff with every game meaning so much. However, he has seemed to know exactly when the team needs a change in net, and this unorthodox approach at the position in the playoffs could be his next great call.
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