BUFFALO, N.Y. [WKBW] — In a season where not much has gone right for the Buffalo Sabres, goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is the exception.
As a 24-year-old, Luukkonen has emerged as the Sabres starter for the remainder of the season and quite possibly years to come.
In his last 10 games, Luukkonen has a .936 save percentage, two shutouts, and six wins. On the season, Luukkonen is 12-12-2 with a 2.58 goals against average and three shutouts.
"He's been amazing," Sabres head coach Don Granato said after the Sabres 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars. "Really the trajectory for him has been something significant."
UPL was shaky to start but has made some really big saves for them. Can’t blame him at all. Need more than one goal, especially when you’re a team that’s built to score. I know Oettinger was great, but wayyyy too many missed opportunities.
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) February 7, 2024
Heading into the season, there were questions on Luukkonen's future after his lack of starts towards the end of last year. That battle with fellow goaltender Devon Levi is something Granato believes brought the most out of Luukkonen, who has taken over the crease for the first time in his young career.
“Going through the highs and lows of hockey in the minor leagues has helped me realize how lucky we are to do what we do," Luukkonen said in a sit-down interview with 7 sports. "Kind of finding the positive things every day and kind of finding the fun in hockey every day and working through that and just overall, that growth has been really big for me.”
Luukkonen says the added starts have been a welcomed adjustment as he plays more hockey than he has in a long time.
"I feel like being a starting goalie, that’s where everyone wants to get. I think I’m playing a lot of games right now but I’m trying to keep it that way, that’s the biggest thing for me right now.”
As for his team, the Sabres find themselves well out of the playoff picture. But the man between the pipes believes he and his teammates have what it takes to go on a run.
“I think everybody knew before the season that we have what it takes maybe skill wise, but we’re kind of finding the right path now and believing we can do it is the big part of it, but I feel like everybody knows that we can do it."
