Let us return to previous summer. Remember when we discussed who should start for the Buffalo Sabres? Obviously, the majority of people (including myself) thought Devon Levi was the clear favorite. With good reason. Some suggested trading for a goalie or splitting Levi and Eric Comrie.
The one guy who was the odd man out, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Some people wanted him traded, some people wanted him in Rochester. There were very few who thought he should be the guy but a majority of the fanbase thought otherwise.
Last year, Luukkonen played so well at one point that he was the NHL’s rookie of the month. But as we got deeper into the season, he struggled. With the Sabres in the playoff race, it was Levi getting the starts as well as Comrie and Craig Anderson from time to time.
Has Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen won over Buffalo Sabres fans?
Fast forward to this season, and it has switched. Levi has not been the best and while Comrie has looked good, it’s Luukkonen who is looking the best out of the three of them. So far this season, Luukkonen has the best stats out of the goaltenders.
He has a record of 6-3-1, with a goals against average of 2.54 and a .918 save percentage. Lately, he has done such an amazing job. Some of the saves he’s been making have been clutch in helping the Sabres secure victories.
But it begs the question, can he continue to play well? As I mentioned earlier, he got hot last year, then declined as the season went along. If I had to rank how confident I am on a scale from 1-10, I’m going to say a seven, cautiously optimistic.
Even if he has been the greatest goaltender for the time being, I am not ready to draw any conclusions. I will say that I believe he has something to prove after being the odd man out at the start of the season. As someone who doubted him, I’m rooting for him to show me wrong, and I hope he keeps it up.
