Staring his fifth season with the Buffalo Sabres, netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen got off to a shaky start, helping the Blue and Gold lose three of their first five games, including a heartbreaking 6-5 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 16. No. 1 then rallied, contributing to wins in seven of the next 14 contests when he was in net.
Luukkonen’s only real stinker during this stretch was letting in four goals during a home matchup vs. the Montreal Canadiens, where Habs’ forward Nick Suzuki beat him twice in less than 30 seconds at the end of the second period before head coach Lindy Ruff pulled him. The loss against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Oct. 28 is probably a little more excusable.
In seems like that Veterans Day performance against the Habs might be an anomaly. UPL was at his best facing the Kings in L.A. recently, shutting out the hosts as part of the Sabres’ 1-0 win.
Luukkonen’s sixth career shutout is his first this season. Last year he had five, so it’s possible No. 1 enjoys a few more before the regular season wraps in April. His SV% and GAA numbers, while not his all-time best, are still an excellent .909 and 2.61 respectively, as of this writing, with plenty of hockey left.
UPL is not only getting shutouts, he’s winning shootouts. His only SO performance in 2024-25 to date came in a Nov. 9 matchup vs. the Calgary Flames. Luukkonen stopped all three Calgary shooters, while Sabres’ forward JJ Peterka got the lone goal against Flames’ goalie Dan Vladar to give Buffalo a 3-2 victory.
No. 1 suffered an injury recently and after backup Devon Levi tried his best to fill in, head coach Lindy Ruff sent him down to Rochester to get more playing time. It’s likely the best move, because as long as UPL can stay healthy and sharp, Ruff will start him in most games going forward.
It’s no guarantee UPL will win almost every contest for Buffalo in a Dominik Hasek or Ryan Miller style and it’s not fair to expect him to. The Sabres’ defense still suffers from a lack of consistency along with the team’s offense. However, if the rest of the roster can play a solid 60 minutes game in and game out, Luukkonen will stop most of the shots he faces and help the team pile up some more points.