UPL acknowledges the Buffalo Sabres' biggest hurdle in 2026-27

The Buffalo Sabres swept a three-game trip to the West Coast, scoring victories over the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings, and they've earned at least a point in eight of their past nine contests (5-1-3 record).

They still sit in seventh place in the eight-team Atlantic Division with 17 points (7-4-3).

Buffalo's attempt to earn a second straight trip to the NHL Playoffs (after a record-setting 14-year drought) is complicated by the immense strength of the Atlantic, and the Eastern Conference as a whole. It'll be a fight until the final days of the regular season.

Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stressed the importance of staying within striking distance, even though it's still early in the 2026-27 campaign.

"Everybody knows how good the Atlantic is this year," UPL told reporters after Saturday's 3-2 win over the Kings. "I think the biggest thing right now is that we have to be able to string points together, string good games and wins together. I think we kind of [did] it all this trip: There's been low-scoring games, high-scoring games, and we've been able to come out on top."

Luukkonen's improved play is a key reason for Buffalo's uptick in performance.

The 27-year-old Finnish netminder has posted an .898 save percentage over his last seven games. While it's still below his .910 mark from last season, it's a vast improvement from his first three outings of the campaign (.782).

"I felt great. I've been feeling good in the games," UPL said.

In addition, the Sabres power play, which struggled mightily out of the gate, has shown some promising signs as of late, including a 2-for-3 effort against LA. The team's defensive desperation has also increased exponentially over the past couple games.

Buffalo still isn't quite playing at the level it displayed last year, when it went on one of the best runs in NHL history, but the club is back trending in the right direction.

The Blue and Gold will look to continue their hot streak Wednesday night when they open a four-game homestand against the division rival Ottawa Senators.

For now, let's dive into the latest edition of our Sabres player grades series focused around Saturday's triumph over the Kings.

Buffalo Sabres keep winning ways alive against Los Angeles Kings

Sabres Player Grades

Buffalo Player of the Game: Tage Thompson

Thompson led the charge while the Sabres were out west with eight points (five goals and three assists) in the trio of victories. The scoring barrage has moved him inside the NHL's top 20 in points, and he's now on pace for a 60-goal season.

Buffalo's alternate captain is always an offensive threat but he feels unstoppable when his skating is fully engaged like it has been in recent games. His combination of size (6'6'', 220 pounds) and power is a nightmare for opposing defensemen to deal with.

He scored twice against the Kings, and could have had a few more while firing off a team-high eight shots on goal. He doesn't receive a perfect grade because he took a bad penalty while defending teammate Peyton Krebs after a hard hit. The Sabres killed off the penalty to preserve the win.

Sabres Quick Hits

• The Sabres were dominated in the faceoff circle (34-19) by the Kings. It's still an area needing improvement. Moving Thompson (42.9% career) to the wing would help immensely, but nobody's stepped up to fill the first-line center void.

• Jack Quinn is on pace for 48 goals.

• Mattias Samuelsson blocked eight shots to spearhead a 30-block performance from Buffalo, which is starting to do a much better job getting in shooting lanes.

• Sam Carrick has played better since rejoining the lineup.

• Josh Norris and Ryan McLeod are still far too quite offensively. The Sabres need them to get going soon to take some pressure off Tage and Quinn.

• Buffalo and Ottawa are scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. ET faceoff Wednesday night at the KeyBank Center.

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