It has been an extended wait for Luukkonen.
"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," Luukkonen said, of what he has done to prepare for his return.
When the playoffs started, it was Luukkonen who got the first call over Lyon from coach Lindy Ruff after a season in which the goalies rotated fairly evenly.
Luukkonen allowed three goals to the Bruins in Game 1, a game in which the Sabres staged a third-period comeback to win their first playoff game in 15 seasons. He allowed four goals in Game 2, including one on a dump-in from the neutral zone by Morgan Geekie.
Lyon replaced him and has started the past seven games, four against the Bruins and three against the Canadiens. Lyon allowed five goals in four starts to Boston; he has allowed 11 in three games to Montreal, though Ruff has been clear that the goalie has not been the issue for Buffalo.
Lyon is 4-3 with a 2.18 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in the playoffs. He 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 lead in the best-of-7 series. He was 20-10-4 with a 2.77 GAA, .907 save percentage and three shutouts in 36 games (34 starts) in the regular season.
Asked about Lyon's performance in Game 3, Ruff said postgame, "He was very good all night. I'll stop you right there. He was very good all night. There's nothing about Alex Lyon this game."
Luukkonen sustained a lower-body injury on Jan. 27 and was unable to represent Team Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He returned on Feb. 25 and went 11-2-1 after the break with a 2.21 GAA and .920 save percentage in 14 games to help the Sabres win the Atlantic Division with a 50-23-9 record and clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2011. He finished the regular season 22-9-3 with a 2.52 GAA and .910 save percentage in 35 games (34 starts).
"I think especially the physical part, I feel like I'm in a great spot," Luukkonen said of the goalie rotation. "The body feels great. Of course, when you're in a good spot in that, mentally you feel better too."
"He's worked extremely hard; he's a big part of our team," Ruff said of Luukkonen. "He's a big part of the reason we've been here."
Throughout the playoffs, Ruff has credited the goalie rotation as being a strength of the Sabres, and has intimated that he would not hesitate to go back to it. That rotation during the regular season also included rookie Colten Ellis, who played 16 games.
"It's what we are. It's what we've been the whole year," Ruff said. "I've said all along, all three guys have been really important to our success to this point and to move on, they all three have to be."
