Luukkonen joins Sabres with Comrie out multiple weeks

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made the drive from Rochester to Buffalo on Thursday morning, arriving in time to beat the band of lake effect snow that poured on the city and its Southtowns.
"I knew it was going to happen and I was going to beat it, but I was surprised how much snow there is," the 23-year-old goaltender said after practice at KeyBank Center on Friday.
Luukkonen will grow more acquainted with Buffalo and its winters in the coming weeks. He will partner with Craig Anderson while Eric Comrie recovers from a lower-body injury, which he sustained during a collision with Ottawa Senators forward Mathieu Joseph on Wednesday.

Comrie is expected to miss multiple weeks, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams told reporters. Comrie has started 11 of the Sabres' first 17 games.
Luukkonen has been a workhorse for the Rochester Americans this season, having started nine of the team's first 11 games before an illness sidelined him for two contests games last weekend. He is 6-3-0 after making a combined 71 saves in his two most recent outings.
"There was a couple of games I was not too happy about," Luukkonen said of his season thus far. "But overall, I think I've been able to help the team win and that's the most important thing, and kind of, most of the games be the backbone of the team. So, I feel like it's been a good start to the season."
Video: AFTER PRACTICE: Luukkonen
The Sabres have made it a point to prioritize playing time for Luukkonen - a message reiterated to the goaltender by Adams after the organization signed Comrie to a two-year deal this summer. Luukkonen has been limited by injuries to a combined 95 games over his first three pro seasons in North America, split between the ECHL, AHL, and NHL.
Adams reiterated the organization's philosophy regarding Luukkonen during training camp.
"It's more about starts," he said. "It's less about where he gets his minutes and more about him getting his minutes and I truly believe that because, you know, he's had some challenges with injuries and just getting himself into that rhythm of having that foundation to build on.
"And what I've talked to him about is we believe in him. We believe in him 100 percent. He's going to be a very good National Hockey League goalie, but what we want to do is when he's here, he's ready."
Luukkonen embraced that message, returning to Buffalo after a productive summer that left him feeling more agile in the crease.
"His fitness coming into the season, you still see he leaned down a bit," Sabres coach Don Granato said. "His agility, his ability to get in and out of low positions and movements are just sharper, more efficient while expending less energy as well."
Luukkonen returns to the Sabres with NHL experience to lean on. He played nine games with Buffalo last season, during which he posted a .917 save percentage. That run was interrupted by an injury that sidelined him for nearly a month.
"That, for sure, helps," he said. "I kind of get that feeling from those games that I've been able to do it before, play well at this level. It's time to show it again."
Here are more notes from Friday's practice at KeyBank Center.
1.Zemgus Girgensons, who did not play during the third period in Ottawa on Wednesday due to an injury, did not practice and is not expected to play in Toronto on Saturday. Kyle Okposo also remained absent and will not play in Toronto.
Girgensons and Okposo will both be re-evaluated early next week.
2. With Girgensons and Okposo absent, the Sabres did get one reinforcement at forward. Jack Quinn was a full participant in practice after missing the last two games with an injury.
Granato said a decision on Quinn's status for Saturday would be made in the morning but added that Quinn looked good during the hour-long session.
Here's how the Sabres lined up:
| November 18 | | --- | | LW | C | RW | | 53 Jeff Skinner | 72 Tage Thompson | 89 Alex Tuch | | 22 Jack Quinn | 24 Dylan Cozens | 77 JJ Peterka | | 19 Peyton Krebs | 37 Casey Mittelstadt | 71 Victor Olofsson | | 74 Rasmus Asplund | 8 Riley Sheahan | 29 Vinnie Hinostroza | | | | 15 Anders Bjork | | LD | RD | G | | 26 Rasmus Dahlin | 25 Owen Power | 41 Craig Anderson | | 23 Mattias Samuelsson | 10 Henri Jokiharju | 1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | | 78 Jacob Bryson | 46 Ilya Lyubushkin | | | 20 Lawrence Pilut | 45 Casey Fitzgerald | |
3. Mattias Samuelsson participated in his first full practice with the Sabres after joining the team for its morning skate on Tuesday. Samuelsson has been out since October 22 with a lower-body injury.
Granato did not rule Samuelsson out for Saturday but said the team will not rush him into the lineup. If he does not play in Toronto, Samuelsson could return in Montreal on Tuesday or at home against St. Louis on Wednesday.
4.The Sabres made it to Toronto without any weather-related hiccups. Ilya Lyubushkin, who lives in The Southtowns, did have to brave the conditions but took the ice shortly after practice began.
5. The Sabres are gearing up for 90s Night. The team practiced wearing the black and red pants, gloves, and helmets that will accompany their "goathead" alternate jersey when they debut it during their home game against St. Louis next Wednesday.
Find photos of the gear in the below tweets.
Tweet from @BuffaloSabres: ������🔴🔥 pic.twitter.com/kiEl59x3Xw