Sabres goaltender went 22-9-3, with a 2.52 GAA, and .910 save % in 35 games last season
The Buffalo Sabres practiced at Key Bank Center on Tuesday, and one surprising sight was goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on the ice. The 27-year-old left the ice early in the third period of the Sabres preseason finale against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, with what head coach Lindy Ruff described as a lower-body tweak.
On Tuesday, Luukkonen was in the starter’s net for most of the hour-long practice, which could be an indicator that he will be between the pipes for the club’s season opener in Columbus on Thursday. The veteran netminder indicated that he left the game just to make sure that the discomfort he felt was nothing serious.
"I don't think it was necessarily anything; it was just more just precautionary," Luukkonen said. "I didn't want anything to get worse, kind of thing."
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The Sabres had the opportunity to place a claim on a number of goaltenders placed on waivers on Sunday, but injuries to Luukkonen and Alex Lyon appear to be not as severe as once feared, but it is still possible that third-stringer Colten Ellis could get the call on Thursday.
"(Luukkone) had a good day, and we'll see what tomorrow brings. But he had a good day today," Ruff said. (Lyon 's) doing good. I would anticipate within days that he'll be back up there."
On other injury updates, defenseman Olen Zellweger is still considered day-to-day after suffering a concussion. Mattias Samuelsson may practice on Wednesday, but Ruff hinted that if he is not ready, the Sabres may make a roster move to have seven defensemen on the road. Conor Timmins is still be evaluated for a lower body injury,
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