Luukkonen to start in goal for Sabres in Game 4 of Eastern 2nd Round

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will start in goal for the Buffalo Sabres in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre in Montreal on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN). 

The goalie has backed up Alex Lyon the past seven games since being pulled 16 seconds into the third period of a 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins in Game 2 of the first round on April 21, when he allowed four goals on 19 shots. Luukkonen is 1-1 with a 4.19 goals-against average and .825 save percentage in two Stanley Cup Playoff games.

“I’m excited,” Luukkonen said after the morning skate. “This part of the year is all about winning, so (I’m) just excited to go back there and win.

“You know what has worked at this point, what has been successful this year and you kind of try to go back to those details, work on that part of your game and just get comfortable with your game, I guess.”

Lyon has started past seven games for Buffalo, including consecutive losses to Montreal in this best-of-7 series. He is 4-3 with a 2.18 GAA and .921 save percentage. Lyon allowed five goals on 36 shots in a 6-2 loss to the Canadiens in Game 3 on Sunday that gave Montreal a 2-1 series lead. He was 20-10-4 with a 2.77 GAA, .907 save percentage and three shutouts in 36 games (34 starts). 

Luukkonen sustained a lower-body injury on Jan. 27 and was unable to represent Team Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He returned after the break on Feb. 25 and finished the regular season 22-9-3 with a 2.52 GAA and .910 save percentage in 35 games (34 starts).

“He’s worked extremely hard; he’s a big part of our team,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “He’s a big part of the reason we’ve been here.”

NHL.com senior writer Amalie Benjamin contributed to this report