Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen - NHL News & Rumors

Gets hook in Wednesday's rout Luukkonen gave up five goals on 14 shots before being replaced by Colten Ellis early in the third period of Wednesday's 8-3 loss to the Lightning.

Impact Neither goalie could stop the offensive onslaught from the visitors, as Ellis got beaten three times on only eight shots. Luukkonen was the one saddled with the loss, however, giving him his first regulation defeat since Oct. 21. On the season, the 27-year-old netminder sports a 5-4-3 record in 12 outings (11 starts) with a 3.51 GAA and .867 save percentage, and the door would appear to be wide open for Alex Lyon (shoulder) to take on a significant role in the crease as soon as he's cleared to make his 2026-27 debut.

2 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Kucherov has natural hat trick in Lightning's 8-3 romp over Sabres

Nikita Kucherov had a natural hat trick and an assist — all in the third period — and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Buffalo Sabres 8-3 on Wednesday night for their fourth victor...

3 DAYS AGO • Associated Press

Tending twine versus Lightning Luukkonen will protect the home goal versus the Lightning on Wednesday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.

Impact Luukkonen and Colten Ellis have been alternating starts lately. Luukkonen has allowed just four goals on 55 shots over his last two starts, winning both of them, so he could begin to regain control over a starting role if he keeps playing well. The Lightning have scored at least three goals in 11 straight games, so Luukkonen will have his hands full.

3 DAYS AGO • ROTOWIRE

Picks up win over Columbus Luukkonen stopped 24 of 26 shots in Friday's 5-2 win over the Blue Jackets.

Impact This was Luukkonen's second win in a row. After working as the Sabres' primary goalie for much of October, Luukkonen appears to have settled into an even timeshare with Colten Ellis to begin November. Luukkonen is up to 5-3-3 with a 3.27 GAA and an .878 save percentage across 11 games (10 starts) this season. If the goalie rotation holds, Ellis would start Sunday versus the Golden Knights and Luukkonen would face the Lightning on Wednesday.

NOVEMBER 7 • ROTOWIRE

Josh Norris scores twice in the Sabres' 5-2 victory over the Blue Jackets

Josh Norris scored twice, defenseman Owen Power had three assists and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 on Friday night

NOVEMBER 7 • Associated Press

Set to start Friday Luukkonen is expected to be in goal at home versus the Blue Jackets on Friday, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.

Impact Luukkonen has appeared in 10 games this season, going 4-3-3 with a 3.40 GAA and a career-worst .874 save percentage. At this point, Luukkonen will likely continue to rotate the starts with Colten Ellis, and could face the prospect of even fewer opportunities once Alex Lyon (upper body) is cleared to return.

NOVEMBER 6 • ROTOWIRE

Earns win Saturday Luukkonen stopped 27 of 29 shots in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Kings.

Impact Luukkonen delivered a solid performance in his 200th career NHL game, helping Buffalo extend its winning streak to three contests while earning his first win since Oct. 15. The netminder has been slumping a bit lately, winning just two of his last five outings (2-1-2) while posting a 3.35 GAA and .890 save percentage over that stretch. Colten Ellis had started the previous two games, so it remains to be seen whether there will be a time-share in the Sabres' crease going forward.

NOVEMBER 1 • ROTOWIRE

Tage Thompson scores twice as Sabres extend road point streak to 7 with 3-2 win over Kings

Tage Thompson scored twice, including the go-ahead goal with 6:20 remaining, and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 to extend their road point streak to seven games

OCTOBER 31 • Associated Press

Defending crease Saturday Luukkonen will defend the road net against the Kings on Saturday, per Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News.

Impact Luukkonen has lost his last three outings (0-1-2), allowing 11 goals on 95 shots. He has a 3-3-3 record, a 3.56 GAA and an .866 save percentage in nine appearances this campaign. Los Angeles (4-6-2) ranks 24th in the league this season with 2.83 goals per game.

OCTOBER 31 • ROTOWIRE

Takes overtime loss Luukkonen stopped 30 of 34 shots in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Capitals.

Impact The Sabres jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, but Luukkonen gave it all back almost as fast. He's now winless in his last three starts, allowing 11 goals on 95 shots in that span. For the season, the 27-year-old has a 3-3-3 record with a 3.56 GAA and an .866 save percentage across nine games. Luukkonen remains the Sabres' top option in goal ahead of Colten Ellis, but with a tough road trip through California for the week ahead, Luukkonen may best be left on the bench in fantasy.

OCTOBER 25 • ROTOWIRE

Alex Tuch gets winner against former team and Dylan Strome scores twice, as Capitals beat Sabres 4-3

Alex Tuch scored two goals, including the winner in overtime, to lead the Washington Capitals to a win over the Buffalo Sabres, 4-3 on Saturday night

OCTOBER 25 • Associated Press

Dueling Caps Saturday Luukkonen will patrol the road crease in Saturday's road clash against the Capitals, per Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.

Impact Luukkonen will look to leave his shaky start behind him in Saturday's clash after being narrowly defeated in each of his last two outings. Across eight appearances to open the 2026-27 season, the 27-year-old backstop has a 3-3-2 record, a 3.54 GAA and an .864 save percentage. While Alex Lyon (upper body) remains on injured reserve, Luukkonen remains the lead option between the pipes, which should keep him relevant in fantasy despite his struggles. He'll have his work cut out for him Saturday, however, as the Capitals rank 11th in the NHL with 3.33 goals per game this season. Luukkonen is a high-risk, high-reward fantasy option for Saturday's slate.

OCTOBER 24 • ROTOWIRE

Allows three goals in loss Luukkonen stopped 23 of 26 shots in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Flyers.

Impact Luukkonen is 1-1-2 with 14 goals allowed over his last four games. He's struggled to get settled early in the season, allowing at least three goals in seven of eight games so far. He's still mustered a 3-3-2 record with a 3.53 GAA and an .863 save percentage. Until Luukkonen shows more consistency between the pipes, he's not a particularly strong fantasy option with a large share of playing time. The Sabres' next game is Saturday on the road versus the Capitals to kick off a four-game road trip.

OCTOBER 22 • ROTOWIRE

Slated to face Philadelphia Luukkonen is expected to start at home against Philadelphia on Wednesday, per Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.

Impact Luukkonen has a 3-2-2 record, 3.59 GAA and .860 save percentage in seven appearances this season. He has allowed at least three goals in each of his past three games, but he has also had to face at least 30 shots in each of those tilts. Philadelphia is 2-6-3 while averaging a league-worst 1.55 goals per game, but the Flyers might be more dangerous than that implies after winning their past two games while outscoring the competition 6-3.

OCTOBER 21 • ROTOWIRE

Beaten four times in OT loss Luukkonen stopped 30 of 34 shots in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Canadiens.

Impact Luukkonen endured another difficult outing against Montreal, having also allowed three goals in Tuesday's shootout loss to the same opponent. Despite facing 34 shots and making several important saves, he finished with an .882 save percentage and couldn't prevent Cole Caufield's overtime winner. The 27-year-old has surrendered seven goals across his last two starts, raising concerns about his short-term fantasy reliability, and he's also posted a save percentage below the .890 mark in five of his seven outings to date. His workload remains encouraging, but improved defensive support and consistency will be necessary for better results.

OCTOBER 18 • ROTOWIRE

Caufield scores his second goal in OT to lift Canadiens over Sabres 4-3

Cole Caufield scored his second goal of the game 54 seconds into overtime to lift the Montreal Canadiens over the Buffalo Sabres 4-3

OCTOBER 18 • Associated Press

BUF@MTL: Texier scores goal against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | Montréal Canadiens Alexandre Texier (MTL) scores goal against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF) to make it 3 - 1

OCTOBER 18 • NHL.COM

BUF@MTL: Caufield scores goal against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | Montréal Canadiens Cole Caufield (MTL) scores goal against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF) to make it 2 - 1

OCTOBER 18 • NHL.COM

BUF@MTL: Bolduc scores PPG against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | Montréal Canadiens Zachary Bolduc (MTL) scores power-play goal against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF) to make it 1 - 1

OCTOBER 18 • NHL.COM

Slated to start Saturday Luukkonen is expected to start on the road against Montreal on Saturday, per Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.

Impact Luukkonen has a 3-2-1 record, 3.52 GAA and .854 save percentage in six outings this season. He's allowed at least three goals in five of those six games. Montreal has a potentially dangerous offense, but the Canadiens have been middle of the road to start the campaign with an average of 3.00 goals per game and a 3-3-1 record.

OCTOBER 17 • ROTOWIRE

Gives team chance to recover and win Luukkonen made 26 saves in Thursday's 5-4 overtime win over the Maple Leafs.

Impact UPL surrendered a hat trick to Kirill Marchenko by the 16:51 mark of the second, and the Sabres were down 4-2. But he tightened the proverbial hatches and gave his team a chance to fight back in the third. Luukkonen and Colten Ellis are the dynamic duo in Buffalo with Alex Lyon (upper body) on the sidelines, but neither man has been good. UPL's 3.46 GAA and .850 save percentage don't simply look bad, they are bad. He's the fifth worst NHL goalie in goals saved above expected (GSAx), the measurement of individual skill and impact on the game. Luukkonen has a minus-4.6 already.

OCTOBER 16 • ROTOWIRE

Owen Power scores in OT to complete Sabres' rally for 5-4 win over Maple Leafs

Owen Power scored in overtime and the Buffalo Sabres rallied from two goals down in the third period to overcome Kirill Marchenko’s hat trick and beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4

OCTOBER 16 • Associated Press

BUF@TOR: Marchenko scores goal against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | Toronto Maple Leafs Kirill Marchenko (TOR) scores goal against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF) to make it 3 - 2

OCTOBER 16 • NHL.COM

BUF@TOR: Marchenko scores PPG against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | Toronto Maple Leafs Kirill Marchenko (TOR) scores power-play goal against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF) to make it 2 - 1

OCTOBER 15 • NHL.COM

BUF@TOR: Matthews scores goal against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews (TOR) scores goal against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF) to make it 1 - 0

OCTOBER 15 • NHL.COM

UKKO-PEKKA LUUKKONEN NEWS

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Kucherov has natural hat trick in Lightning's 8-3 romp over Sabres

Josh Norris scores twice in the Sabres' 5-2 victory over the Blue Jackets

Tage Thompson scores twice as Sabres extend road point streak to 7 with 3-2 win over Kings

Alex Tuch gets winner against former team and Dylan Strome scores twice, as Capitals beat Sabres 4-3

Caufield scores his second goal in OT to lift Canadiens over Sabres 4-3

Owen Power scores in OT to complete Sabres' rally for 5-4 win over Maple Leafs