BUFFALO, N.Y. — Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen looks like he’s finally figured it out, so are there any options for Kevyn Adams to keep him here?
The 23-year-old struggled in his first six games up in Buffalo, but he has been the reason the Sabres won, his last two starts.
These games that the kid stole were not against bad teams. They were on the road against the Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche and the Western Conference-leading Vegas Golden Knights.
In both games, the Sabres went into the third period up 3-0 and they totally wilted and hoped their goaltender could get it done.
In Colorado, the Avalanche came hard and outshot the Sabres 17-1, but Luukkonen left that game with 39 saves and a 4-2 win.
It was worse in Vegas. The Golden Knights came at the kid in droves, but he made 21 saves in the third period alone and 41 in the game to steal two points from the hosts.
Overall in nine games, Luukkonen is 5-3-1 with 3.44 goals against and a .891 save percentage.
At first glance, those numbers are awful and you’d say it’s easy to send him down to Rochester, but in his last three starts, he’s 2-1-0 with 2.35 goals against and .939 save percentage.
Eric Comrie was signed to be the bridge. It was supposed to be him and Craig Anderson this season and then Comrie and Luukkonen next year, but the problem is this. Every single young player on this roster has had to earn their position and I agree with that 100%, but why are the rules different for Luukkonen? He was the best goalie in training camp followed by Anderson and Anderson has been the best goalie this season with Luukkonen right with him or better in his last three games.
Comrie is back practicing and will be ready to come back from a lower-body injury very soon, maybe even this week. Buffalo has injuries and they need to use their 23-man roster to address those injuries. I don’t see room for three goalies, but Adams is going to say what he’s said all season, “Luukkonen needs to play games, it doesn’t matter where, he just needs to play,” and the fans will lose their minds.
Many fans have given up on Comrie after just 11 games which is ridiculous. He too is trying to find his way as a starting goaltender, but it hasn’t gone well. Buffalo is on a four-game winning streak because of great goaltending from Luukkonen and Anderson. The fans have been turning themselves inside out because they’re watching superstars like Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson help this team to lead the league in goals, but the goaltending had been below average.
How can you justify your position that players who earn it get rewarded if you send Luukkonen down after what he did out west? By the way, the Sabres are 6-1-0 this season on western swings.
JJ Peterka, Jack Quinn, and Peyton Krebs all had to earn their lineup spots and they did just that, but why are the rules different for Luukkonen? They were different for him last season and it’s different for him this year.
Now, of course, they could waive Anderson or Comrie, but that’s not going to happen. They could also trade one of them, but Adams is not going to trade Anderson unless it’s to the Florida Panthers, because that’s his home.
If you trade Comrie, then you’re counting on Malcolm Subban to be your No. 3 goalie. In seven games with the Rochester Americans, Subban is 5-2-0 with 2.82 goals against and a .910 save percentage. Rochester went into Tuesday in second place in the North Division, four points behind the Toronto Marlies and two points ahead of the Syracuse Crunch.
SABRES ARE CLIMBING IN THE ATLANTIC DIVISION:
The problem with the Sabres losing eight in a row is they didn’t get any loser points. Currently, they’re 9-3-2 in 14 games and have climbed into fourth place in the Atlantic Division before Tuesday’s action, but Buffalo has to sit for three days and not get any points. They then host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday which has beaten them twice and is 13-3-0 in their last 16 games.
The Sabres are seven points behind third-place Tampa Bay, but they have games in Toronto and Detroit before they get here and will likely pick up points.
Buffalo has 34 points and is tied with the Florida Panthers, one point ahead of the Red Wings and two points in front of the Montreal Canadiens, so the chances of them being in fourth place when they next take the ice are pretty slim.
Buffalo can’t play every night and even when they get points, other teams will do the same when they’re idle.
Is the task of making the playoff possible? Of course, just ask the St. Louis Blues when they were in last place in the NHL in January and they won the Stanley Cup, but with so many teams to leap over, it’s very difficult.