Red-hot Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is keeping the Buffalo Sabres in the playoff hunt

Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

In hockey, getting passed over for a shiny new toy is easy.

Many started to lose interest in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen once Devon Levi turned pro. Luukkonen struggled to cement himself as the team’s answer in net like many projected he would when he was tearing up the OHL with the Sudbury Wolves.

But that’s starting to change. If this recent run is anything to come by, he’s finally starting to figure things out.

Luukkonen has been red-hot lately, going 5-1-0 since Dec. 30 with two shutouts The one loss was a 1-0 affair to one of the best teams in the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks. He was exceptional in a 40-save effort against the Pittsburgh Penguins back on Jan. 6 and then snagged consecutive shutouts against San Jose and Chicago – yes, weak teams, but he was excellent both days.

UPL has kept the Sabres in the playoff conversation. Many had them making the playoffs, but injuries and inconsistent play has plagued this group. They’re not out of the playoff picture just yet, sitting just seven points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the final wild-card spot. But that’s still a huge mountain to climb, especially with how tight the race is in the Eastern Conference.

Once considered one of the top goaltending prospects in the game, Luukkonen had a difficult start to his pro career. He bounced between the AHL and ECHL before returning to Finland for the COVID-affected 2020-21 season. He didn’t play well in Rochester and had little support in his three-game run with the Sabres. He played some solid hockey the following year, but the improvements just weren’t showing yet. By 2022-23, Luukkonen’s future looked uncertain. He had some decent starts with the Sabres and was the team’s best goaltender. But with a save percentage of .892, better results were needed.

If UPL was going to make it, this was year to prove it. The team had multiple chances to move in recent years to bring in some established help, but GM Kevyn Adams remained loyal to the youngster. The stats might not be too sexy, but the 6-foot-5 keeper from Espoo, Finland is in the zone right now.

Since Dec. 30, UPL’s .956 save percentage is first among goaltenders with at least five starts. His 7.66 goals-saved above average is second behind Vezina Trophy-frontrunner Connor Hellebyuck, and his .872 high-danger save percentage is sixth. It’s a small sample size, but it’s promising.

Levi is still a top goaltending prospect, and there’s still little reason to doubt his long-term future. The team in front of him hasn’t played well, but you can’t expect a 22-year-old rookie with 28 games of pro hockey experience to carry the load, especially when very few goaltenders go straight from college to the NHL immediately. Levi could benefit from another trip back to the AHL, given he has played just twice in January and has only won consecutive games twice this season.

Fortunately, UPL has picked up the slack.

If there’s anything the sport taught us, goaltending makes no sense. You need as many bullets in the chamber as you can carry if you’re going to make it work. Luukkonen has stolen just enough games to cement himself as the short-term answer.

The Sabres must keep riding the hot hand like they did when Levi turned pro last year. Luukkonen deserves as many starts as possible while he’s playing like he is, but that’s impacting Levi’s playing time. It’s hard to beat Luukkonen’s .958 save percentage in January. Even if he falls off a little bit, he’s Buffalo’s best chance of making the postseason.

When you break down UPL’s season into blocks, there’s been quite a few positives. An illness in the fall saw him lose the starting gig briefly to Levi, but he bounced back and is riding a high right now. Will it last? We’ll see, but he’s giving the Sabres something to think about for the long run.

The Sabres have had difficulty finding “the guy” in net since Ryan Miller all those years ago. Many have come through with convincing arguments, but the solution has seemed to evade them. Now, with two young, solid goalies in the system, the future looks bright – and UPL doesn’t want you to forget about him anytime soon.

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Red-hot Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is keeping the Buffalo Sabres in the playoff hunt

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