Luukkonen not pleased with lack of playing time
The Buffalo Sabres have said carrying three goalies into the season is something that is manageable, and through the first two weeks of the season, the results on the ice have been mostly positive.
Rookie Devon Levi started the first four games, in a decision motivated to see if he could handle a heavy workload. The 21-year-old played well at times but went 1-3 before suffering a lower-body injury against Calgary last Thursday.
Veteran backup Eric Comrie, who indicated that sitting for long stretches is something he is used to, playing behind Connor Hellebuyck in Winnipeg, was sharp after nearly two weeks of not seeing action in a 3-1 win over the NY Islanders and in a 3-1 loss to Montreal.
On Tuesday, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen started for the first time and played well in a 6-4 win over the Ottawa Senators, but expressed a little frustration at not getting a chance to play until the seventh game of the season.
“It’s not even close to being the most optimal situation to have the first game of the season right now,” Luukkonen said. “It’s not my decision when I play, so I have to make the most out of it.”
The 24-year-old is not waiver exempt, which would allow him to be demoted to the American Hockey League, and with a division rival like Tampa Bay potentially looking for inexpensive help in goal, teams like Buffalo and Detroit have opted to carry three netminders.
"(Both Luukkonen and Comrie) prepare very well and they know that's the situation, that's a circumstance you deal with when you're in the NHL." Sabres head coach Don Granato said. "You see their work habits, their work ethic and drive. They're in the NHL, so they're here because of that."
It is unknown how long the Sabres will continue to carry an extra goalie, but it is a situation that may need to be rectified if the workload is not more evenly distributed.
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