Confident Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is finding a home in Sabres' crease

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, the Buffalo Sabres' heralded goalie prospect since he was drafted in 2017, has become their best option in the crease. And the 22-year-old rookie is rewarding their faith.

Luukkonen is only 2-3-2 in seven games but has posted a .927 save percentage. Among the 65 NHL goalies who have played at least seven games this year, that save percentage ranks eighth in the league. And Luukkonen is fourth at .931 when the Sabres are on the penalty kill.

It's notable what an upgrade the 6-foot-5 Luukkonen has been since he arrived. Who's 65th and last in save percentage in the above group? Aaron Dell at .872, and Dell is the man Luukkonen essentially supplanted on the Buffalo roster and swapped places with in Rochester.

"It’s been a good stretch of games," Luukkonen said after practice Monday in KeyBank Center. "The more games I get, the more comfortable I feel and the more practices I get, the more comfortable I feel. You gain confidence from playing well because you know you gave the guys a reason to trust you, a reason to believe that you can win the game for them and help them out. Getting to know the guys here gives me confidence and I’m really happy if I’m able to help them and give them some confidence to play as a team.”

Luukkonen has been facing a lot of pucks, as Buffalo opponents have averaged 38.6 shots in his last five starts. He stopped 38 of 42 shots in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to New Jersey and 37 of 41 in Saturday's overtime loss in Boston by the same score.

But Luukkonen was appreciably sharper in Boston, making several key saves in the first period as the Bruins came out of the locker room firing and then keeping the Sabres afloat to earn a point in the third after Boston scored twice to tie the game.

"In this league, your best players are the reason you’re in games," coach Don Granato said. "And sometimes your best player’s a forward, sometimes he’s a D. You’re pretty damn happy in this league when it’s the goalie. He played to that level. What I was most excited about was his body language, his confidence. He made it look easy. He made shooters look like they had to work harder than he had to work because of his positioning, athleticism and size."

Luukkonen had much better rebound control in Boston and was moving better laterally than he did against the Devils. And it was particularly noticeable how far he was coming out of his crease to attack shooters. 

"That was also our defensive play," he said. "I think there were a couple situations where they got to walk in, but I think our 'D' and our guys were doing a good job of taking the pass option away, so I was able to challenge those more. That probably was one of the other things that I felt a little bit better in the Boston game, so you’re more confident when you challenge those plays, too.”

"Honestly, he's one of the more consistent goalies I've seen at such a young age," said Sabres winger Alex Tuch. "He's big. I've seen a couple of Finnish-style goalies like that. But his consistency at such a young age, his poise and his compete is something that's really surprised me and it's honestly been really good for our team, kept us in some games. I thought he's been seeing the puck well and, over the last however many games he's played, he's been dominant."

The loss to New Jersey was the Sabres' first game back after an 11-day break and Luukkonen showed the same kind of rustiness many of his teammates had that night.

"You feel a little bit off with the timing and the pace of the game and everything like that," he said. "You kind of need to get back to it and it takes a period or two. Even though you practice really well and everything like that, the game is always different. So, I think the Jersey game was all right but for sure, the Boston game was a lot better.”

The Sabres' lone game this week comes Thursday night at home against San Jose. When the Sabres lost to the Sharks on Nov. 2 in SAP Center, it was the night No. 1 goalie Craig Anderson was injured. Anderson has yet to return and that game sent Buffalo into a month-long spiral in goal. Luukkonen's arrival on Dec. 7 has provided stability the Sabres hoped for.

Luukkonen has quickly improved in all facets of his game since having a pedestrian training camp and being sent to the AHL. 

"After every game, you feel more comfortable, you feel better, just in day to day life," he said. "A month now which I’ve been here, you kind of get used to it, you find your rhythm, you find things you need to do to play well. I feel more comfortable and also getting to be with the team here, getting to be with the guys and know them better, that helps, too. Just getting more comfortable with my play here has been a huge thing for me.”