Buffalo Sabres incumbent starting goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen expects to fully recover from a lower-body injury before the team's Opening Night game against the New York Rangers on Oct. 9.
"It's just a lower-body thing which kind of flared up at the end of the summer, and we've just been trying to get it under control and get me back on the ice," UPL told reporters Thursday. "I felt good today on the ice, so I should be ready when the season starts."
Luukkonen missed the start of Sabres training camp after suffering an unspecified "tweak." It was a troublesome setback ahead of a crucial season as he attempts to bounce back from a lackluster 2024-25 campaign that saw him post an unsightly .887 save percentage.
Buffalo rotated Alex Lyon, Alexandar Georgiev and prized prospect Devon Levi in net during its first two preseason games, a pair of victories over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Health and play of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will have a massive impact on the Buffalo Sabres' 2025-26 season
The Sabres thought they'd finally found their long-term answer between the pipes when UPL delivered a 2.57 goals against average and .910 SV% during a breakout 2023-24 season. General manager Kevyn Adams rewarded him with a five-year, $23.75 million contract extension.
It's still early (four seasons remaining) but so far that deal hasn't aged well.
Luukkonen struggled mightily last season. Not only did he suffer a colossal drop in his save percentage, but the eye test backed up the numbers. He was caught out of position far too often and let in some weak goals in vital moments. The botton line: It was a forgettable year.
The underlying metrics back up that assessment.
The 26-year-old Finland native ranked 71st among 72 NHL goalies who played at least 600 minutes last season in goals saved above average (-20 GSAA), according to Natural Stat Trick. He also finished 65th in high-danger save percentage (.773).
Although the trio of Lyon, Georgiev and Levi has played quite well so far in the preseason, allowing just one goal combined in the two wins over Columbus, it'd be hard to count on any of them to truly carry the load once the regular season begins.
So, the Sabres still remain heavily reliant on a return to form by UPL, who also faltered in 2022-23 with an .891 SV% in 33 games during his first full NHL season.
It leaves a lot of uncertainty about how Luukkonen will perform in 2025-26, and that's a substantial concern since goaltending is the one position that can sink a team no matter how well the rest of the lineup plays.
Ultimately, if UPL bounces back, Buffalo should have a realistic shot to snap its 14-year playoff drought and potentially make some noise in the Eastern Conference. If he doesn't, the team will be scrambling in an effort to find stability in net before it's too late.
It's a similar story in the long-term lens. How Luukkonen performs will tell the tale about whether he can be counted on as the Sabres' starting netminder for the foreseeable future.
Staying healthy would be a strong first step in the right direction.