Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Holds Rangers to one goal
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Luukkonen turned aside 25 of 26 shots in a 5-1 win over the Rangers on Monday.
Luukkonen's shutout bid was ended by Mika Zibanejad, who scored on the power play midway through the third period. Nevertheless, Luukkonen can count this as the latest in a string of great performances -- he's allowed just five goals on 99 shots (.949 save percentage) over his last four appearances. Through 11 contests this year, the goaltender has a 6-3-1 record, 2.54 GAA and .918 save percentage.
Luukkonen will defend the road net Monday against the Rangers, according to Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.
Luukkonen has won his past two outings, stopping 55 of 59 shots. Through 10 appearances this season, he has provided a 5-3-1 record with a 2.71 GAA and a .914 save percentage. New York is tied for ninth in the league this campaign with 3.42 goals per game.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Records victory Friday
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Luukkonen stopped 31 of 33 shots in a 3-2 win against the Penguins on Friday.
Luukkonen slipped behind 2-0 through the first two periods, but the offense came alive in the third period with a power-play goal and two even-strength markers. The 24-year-old Finn has won consecutive starts for just the second time this season. He has posted a 2-1-0 record with one shutout, a 2.07 GAA and a .921 save percentage in four appearances on home ice at KeyBank Center this campaign.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Guarding home crease Friday
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Luukkonen is expected to start at home against Pittsburgh on Friday.
Luukkonen saved 24 of 26 shots in a 3-2 win over Chicago in his last start Sunday. He's 4-3-1 with a 2.80 GAA and a .911 save percentage in nine outings this year. Pittsburgh is tied for 14th offensively this campaign with 3.22 goals per game.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Perfect in relief Tuesday
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Luukkonen stopped all 14 shots he faced after replacing Devon Levi late in the second period of Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Bruins.
He entered the game with his team down 5-1, and while Luukkonen did everything he could to give his teammates a chance to mount a comeback, the offense couldn't get going, especially with Tage Thompson (upper body) unable to come out of the dressing room for the third period. The 24-year-old netminder has a 1-2-1 record through five appearances in November with a 2.96 GAA and .906 save percentage, better ratios than Levi has produced this season, and Luukkonen will likely be back between the pipes Friday in Winnipeg.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Hung out to dry by mates
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Luukkonen made 36 saves in a 4-0 loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday. He allowed three goals.
The Sabres weren't entirely awful in front of him -- they were inconsistent and couldn't score. After starting the season 3-1-0, Luukkonen has gone 0-2-1 with 11 goals allowed in his last three starts. At the same time, Devon Levi has won two consecutive games this month, so the Sabres may go back to him next game. Use caution with Luukkonen. He's better off on your bench until his game picks up.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Starting in Pittsburgh
Rotowire
Luukkonen will protect the road net Saturday against Pittsburgh, according to Penguins play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff.
Luukkonen has posted a mark of 0-1-1 in his past two outings, stopping 38 of 46 shots. He has a 3-2-1 record this season with a 3.10 GAA and an .899 save percentage through six appearances. Pittsburgh is tied for eighth in the league with 3.50 goals per contest this campaign.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Falls to Canes in OT
Rotowire
Luukkonen made 24 saves in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Hurricanes.
He came up with some big stops to help get the Sabres to OT, but he had little chance on Martin Necas' game-winner 90 seconds into the extra frame. The 24-year-old Luukkonen has a 3-2-1 record on the season with a mediocre 3.10 GAA and .899 save percentage, but while Devon Levi returned from his lower-body injury last week, it's still been Luukkonen between the pipes for three of the first four games in November.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Awful versus Flyers
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Luukkonen stopped 14 of 19 shots in Friday's 5-1 loss to the Flyers.
Luukkonen dug a 2-0 hole just 1:31 into the game, and the Sabres' offense didn't have enough to get him out of it. Luukkonen had won three of his last four outings, giving up a combined nine goals over that span. With Devon Levi back from a lower-body injury as the backup over the last couple of games, Luukkonen's run as the unquestioned started for Buffalo is likely close to over. Expect Levi between the pipes Saturday in Toronto.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Starting second straight
Rotowire
Luukkonen will defend the home crease versus Philadelphia on Friday, according to Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.
Luukkonen was excellent in his last start versus Philadelphia on Wednesday, stopping 38 shots en route to a 5-2 win. Luukkonen is 3-1-0 this season with a 2.60 GAA and a .926 save percentage. He'll try to secure a second straight win over the same Flyers squad Friday.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Between pipes Wednesday
Rotowire
Luukkonen will tend the twine for Wednesday's road clash with the Flyers, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.
Luukkonen will be making his fourth straight appearance in the crease after going 2-1-0 with a 2.84 GAA in his prior three contests. Despite his strong recent run of form, the 24-year-old netminder could find himself once again relegated to a backup role, with Devon Levi (lower body) ready to return to action.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Blanks Avs on Sunday
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Luukkonen turned aside all 23 shots he faced in Sunday's 4-0 win over the Avalanche.
The 24-year-old has been thrust into the starting role, with Devon Levi (lower body) and Eric Comrie (lower body) both unavailable, and Luukkonen rose to the occasion Sunday to record his first career NHL shutout. He's seen action in three straight games and gone 2-1-0, allowing seven goals on 82 shots, and while Levi could be back as soon as Wednesday, Luukkonen's recent play might keep him in the No. 1 spot until he cools down.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Set to start Sunday
Rotowire
Luukkonen is expected to guard the home crease Sunday versus Colorado, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550.
With Devon Levi (lower body) and Eric Comrie (lower body) injured, Devin Cooley will serve as Luukkonen's understudy Sunday. Luukkonen has allowed seven goals on 59 shots (.881 save percentage) over two contests this season. Bouncing back against Colorado, which has a 6-1-0 record and has averaged 3.86 goals per game, will be a difficult task.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Plays well despite team struggles
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Luukkonen made 34 saves in a 6-4 win over the Senators on Tuesday.
Luukkonen, making his season debut, played well and had a 5-1 lead until the 15:35 mark of the third period. At that point, the Sabres' defense all but imploded, leaving their netminder alone on a proverbial island. Within a 3:23 span, the Sens scored three on Luukkonen and were pressuring in the last minute when Tage Thompson sealed the game with an empty-net, shorthanded goal with 23 seconds left. The Sabres currently have three goalies on the roster, with rookie Devon Levi (lower body) leading the pack when healthy. Luukkonen's fantasy fortune is restricted in this situation, at least for now.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Set for first start of season
Rotowire
Luukkonen is expected to make his first start of the season versus Ottawa on the road Tuesday.
Luukkonen has watched from the sidelines as Devon Levi (lower body) and Eric Comrie started the first six games of the campaign. With Levi still dealing with his injury and Comrie starting against Montreal on Monday, Luukkonen will be pressed into service. It's not exactly a ringing endorsement for Luukkonen's long-term future with the club that his only start comes on the second night of a back-to-back with the seemingly first-choice option on the shelf.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Starting in Philadelphia
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Luukkonen will guard the road net Saturday against Philadelphia, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
Luukkonen is coming off a 27-save performance in a 5-4 win over New Jersey on March 24. He has a 16-11-4 record this season with a 3.63 GAA and an .890 save percentage in 32 appearances. Luukkonen will get the second half of Buffalo's back-to-back after Devon Levi played in Friday's 3-2 overtime victory over the Rangers. The Flyers sit 29th in the league this campaign with 2.70 goals per game.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Back in win column
Rotowire
Luukkonen made 27 saves in Friday's 5-4 win over the Devils.
The netminder picked up his 16th win of the season after going 0-3-2 over his last six appearances, but Luukkonen nearly let it slip through his fingers as he gave up two third-periods tallies to Jack Hughes to make things close. Luukkonen has a rough .869 save percentage since the All-Star break, but Buffalo doesn't seem to have any better options in net right now as they try to stay alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Starting Friday
Rotowire
Luukkonen will be between the home pipes versus New Jersey on Friday, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.
Luukkonen has struggled all season, despite his 15-11-4 record, as the Sabres have been a scoring machine this season, averaging 3.57 goals per game, third best in the NHL. Luukkonen has given up 21 goals on 169 shots in his last five starts. He has a mediocre 3.62 GAA as well as a poor .890 save percentage. Luukkonen will take on the Devils, who are third in the NHL standings with 98 points.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: In net Sunday
Rotowire
Luukkonen will guard the home net against the Bruins on Sunday, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550.
Luukkonen has gone four starts without a win, going 0-2-2 with a .903 save percentage. He'll have a tough task Sunday against a first-place Bruins team. The 24-year-old Luukkonen is 15-10-4 this season with an .894 save percentage.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Can't hold lead late
Rotowire
Luukkonen made 35 saves on 39 shots in Wednesday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Capitals.
Luukkonen couldn't quite hold on late in regulation, as Tom Wilson tied the game with 1:08 remaining in the third period. Both Capitals shooters scored in the shootout and neither of Buffalo's did, limiting the Sabres to a single point in the standings when a valuable second point was there for the taking. UPL's record moves to 15-10-4 overall, and Luukkonen remains winless in March (0-2-2).
