Luukkonen's 28-save shutout leads Sabres to victory over Sharks

Don Granato turned to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to make his third straight start in goal and the Buffalo Sabres coach wanted to make it clear that it wasn’t something the goaltender was given, but rather something he earned.

Entering Monday’s game, Luukkonen was 3-1 in his last four appearances, recording a .938 save percentage and 1.75 goals-against average in that span. He followed it up with a 28-save shutout to lead the Sabres in a 3-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks inside KeyBank Center on Monday.

“The decision is easy that we would go with him today and the other day,” Granato said. “But the real reason Upie was in is because he played well and he’s in rhythm. He’s been good and he continues to get better.”

Luukkonen made seven saves in a first period that featured a slow start from both teams. Granato felt his players took a bit to get their legs going as the team missed practice Sunday because of a winter storm impacting Western New York and did not partake in a morning skate due to the Monday matinee.

While the group focused on getting back into a rhythm, Luukkonen set the tone for the game.

“Upie was real good,” Granato said. “I said to the team, if we had one guy going, we had the right guy going. That was Upie until the others got their legs under them.”

Granato switched up the lines during the first period – and again later in the second and third – to ignite a more direct game out of his players. His first move put rookie Zach Benson alongside Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch while Casey Mittelstadt shifted in between Jordan Greenway and Eric Robinson.

The change seemed to provide a spark as Benson, Thompson, and Tuch logged nearly a minute of offensive-zone possession time on the opening shift of the second period, giving the Sabres some momentum they would carry through for the remainder of the game.

“Tommer, Tuchy those are our horses,” Mittelstadt said. “They go out and set the tone for us and I think the momentum kind of started there and I thought we had a really good second (period). Like I said, Upie made big saves. It’s the NHL, you’re going to give up a few chances and he made big saves, and we were able to get a few. Like you said, they set the tone for us, and we went from there.”

Luukkonen made a key stop four minutes into the second when William Eklund and Jan Rutta had a 2-on-1 opportunity. Rasmus Dahlin took away the passing option while Luukkonen calmly turned away Eklund’s shot from the left circle to keep the score at 0-0 before the Sabres found their way onto the scoresheet.

Granato shifted captain Kyle Okposo alongside Mittelstadt and Greenway, leading to Buffalo’s first goal. Entering the San Jose zone on the rush, Okposo dished a pass to Mittelstadt, who toe-dragged the puck out of reach of Marc-Edouard Vlasic and ripped a shot by Kaapo Kahkonen with Okposo setting a screen in front.

The Sabres scored again just over three minutes later after Fabian Zetterlund went to the penalty box for high-sticking Tuch to give Buffalo its first power play of the day. The group capitalized on the opportunity as Tuch skated into the slot and received a feed from Jack Quinn to beat Kahkonen with a one-timer and give the Sabres a 2-0 lead.

Greenway put the finishing touches on the win with 3:26 remaining in the game as he tallied an empty-net goal with Kahkonen on the bench for the extra attacker.

Luukkonen stopped 20 of 20 shots in the second and third periods, including a save on a rebound attempt by Tomas Hertl late in the second and a stop on a Filip Zadina one-timer in the third, to keep the Sharks off the board and record the second shutout of his career and season.

“Once we got going, we looked fresh, and it was a good win,” Mittelstadt said.

“Upie once again played great and just battling back there and making big saves for us. Fun to watch and yeah, he deserves it, he’s a warrior for sure.”

Following the game, Luukkonen lauded his teammates and the coaching staff for his recent success. The 24-year-old is now 4-1-0 in his last five starts with a .950 save percentage and 1.40 goals-against average.

“I talked about how well we’ve been playing as a team, and that gives me confidence, too,” Luukkonen said. “I mean, I think that’s a key as a goalie, when you have confidence and you feel good in the net, that kind of boosts your own game, too. Just I feel like getting a couple good starts in a row helps a lot, too. Getting trust from your coaching staff, too. It’s all those things that kind of combine and give me confidence to play.”

Here's more from the 3-0 win.

1. The Sabres were without defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, who missed the game due to an upper-body injury he sustained during Buffalo’s game against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. Defenseman Kale Clague was recalled from the Rochester Americans prior to puck drop and was reassigned following the game.

Henri Jokiharju stepped into Samuelsson’s place alongside Dahlin and tallied a game-high seven shots while skating 19:43. Jokiharju had served as a healthy scratch for Buffalo in each of the last two games and Granato liked what he saw in his return.

“He just seems to wear down sometimes, physically, and even mentally sometimes,” Granato said. “The break for him to step back and reset, I knew he would come back with energy and focus and a little more determination. He did the right things with the puck, closed on guys quick and was a positive factor for us today.”

2. Mittelstadt recorded two assists in addition to his goal, giving him a team-best 38 points (12+26) in 44 games this season.

The forward has registered 13 points (4+9) in his last 12 games, including four multi-point performances. Monday’s contest marked Mittelstadt’s 10th multi-point game of 2023-24.

3. Tuch tallied his second power-play goal of the season as the Sabres went 1-for-2 on the man advantage.

Following the game, Tuch shared that the team has been trying to find its rhythm on the power play after having success in that area last season. He felt the group has taken strides over the past few games.

“It was good, we were just patient,” he said. “We were looking for different plays and different opportunities. Obviously, we spread them out a little bit and that opened up the middle. … There’s a lot of different things and avenues that you can take on the power play. I think that’s what we’re trying to explore because last year we were rolling, we had confidence.”

4. Granato praised Benson for his consistency over the course of the season and his ability to stabilize those around him, including Thompson and Tuch.

“Benny is a very, very responsible player,” Granato said. “Very smart. He’s one of our most responsible guys. He kind of stabilized and gave them consistency.”

He added that the rookie’s hockey sense and ability to adjust give the coaching staff confidence in using Benson in all situations.

“He’s a very young player. But that’s why he made our roster – because of his play without the puck, his intuitive feel for the game, and positional awareness,” Granato said.

“Literally, when we show a clip of what to do systematically or an adjustment, he’s one of the top guys that gets it and can go out and execute it. ... He’s probably the best on our team at being able to adjust immediately, take what was told or shown in the locker room and apply it immediately on the ice. The game is no stress for him.”

5. Buffalo ended the day a perfect 2-for-2 on the penalty kill and improved to 15-for-17 (88.2%) in their last six games. Tuch, Connor Clifton, and JJ Peterka led the team with 2:13 of shorthanded ice time each against the Sharks.

The Sabres’ penalty kill currently ranks seventh in the NHL since the start of the new year.

6. The Sabres have now won four of their last six games and sit seven points out of a Wild Card spot with 42 points in the campaign.

The group outshot opponents in five of those contests and held a 35-28 edge in shots against San Jose.

Up next

The homestand continues Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Tickets are available here. 

The game will be exclusively televised on MSG/MSG+ within the Buffalo broadcast market while out-of-market fans can watch the game on TNT beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Pregame coverage on MSG/MSG+ begins at 7 p.m. Radio coverage can be found on WGR 550.