Luukkonen extends shutout streak in 3-0 win over Blackhawks

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was serenaded by a group of fans from Czechia and Slovakia when he walked off the ice following practice last Friday.

The Buffalo Sabres’ Czech-Slovakia fan club has been in town throughout the team’s season-long, six-game homestand and came prepared with signature chants for many of the team’s players. Their chant for Luukkonen is simple – his full name, sung roughly to the tune of “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

The chant has become a hit among players and staff in the Sabres’ dressing room and – given Luukkonen’s performance with the fan club in town – a regular sound in KeyBank Center of late. It aired on the video board during and after the Sabres’ 3-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, which saw Luukkonen make 19 saves for his second consecutive shutout.

“It’s unbelievable,” the goaltender said. “I love it. I think the other guys and trainers and everybody else might love it even more.”

The chant came at a perfect time, coinciding with one of the best stretches of Luukkonen’s young career. The 24-year-old’s shutout streak – currently at 157:55 dating back to the second period of a 1-0 loss to Vancouver last Saturday – is the ninth-longest in franchise history. He made 28 saves to blank the San Jose Sharks in a 3-0 win on Monday.

But Luukkonen’s consistency stems beyond his shutouts. He’s made four consecutive starts for the Sabres and owns a 5-1-0 record and a .956 save percentage in his last six games.

Luukkonen credited his success in part to the defense in front of him when he addressed his teammates after the game and again when he spoke to the media. His own confidence, meanwhile, has grown with his consistent playing time.

“I feel great,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to play more now and kind of, it builds up your confidence when you … have good games in a row. You kind of get some flow to your game. So, just overall, it’s a great feeling.”

It’s also a testament to the work Luukkonen has put in throughout his career, having now played NHL games in four separate seasons.

“He’s very adamant about making himself better,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “He’s using every experience that he’s been given, every opportunity he’s had over the last year to become better. He’ll be here early in the morning with Mike Bales, our goalie coach, wanting more clips. He’ll go on the ice early tomorrow wanting more drills and he’ll ask players to shoot on him more.

“… So, he’s doing the right things to make himself better. I just think we’re seeing the accumulation of him doing the right things over a longer period of time now.”

Luukkonen’s workload was light against Chicago, but the saves he made when called upon bought the Sabres time to score on their own chances against Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom. The game was tied 0-0 after the first period despite the Sabres owning a 13-4 shot advantage.

Buffalo finally broke through with 7:33 remaining in the second period, when Zemgus Girgensons deflected a Ryan Johnson shot taken from the half wall.

“When shots are like that, that’s when you have to kind of not get frustrated,” Girgensons said. “Just dial it back in for the second because you know you were doing the right things, you were getting good chances, and eventually you will get it in.”

JJ Peterka banked a shot from along the goal line in off Soderblom’s mask to double the Sabres’ lead early in the third period, then Rasmus Dahlin scored a power-play goal from the point after Philipp Kurashev was assessed a five-minute boarding major for a hit on Erik Johnson.

Luukkonen held it down from there, becoming the first Sabres goaltender to record consecutive shutouts since Carter Hutton in 2019.

“Back-to-back shutouts, I haven’t seen that in a while,” Girgensons, the longest-tenured Sabres player, said. “He definitely deserves it.”

Here’s more from the win.

1. The Sabres finished the night 4-for-4 on the penalty kill and are now 12-for-12 in their last four games. Henri Jokiharju led the way with 4:18 of shorthanded ice time.

2. Ryan Johnson tallied a pair of assists for his first career multi-point game.

3. Erik Johnson did not return following the hit from Kurashev, which occurred along the end boards behind the Buffalo net with 14:41 remaining in the third period.

“Erik Johnson is going to be sore,” Granato said. “… He’s sore now and tomorrow we’ll have more.”

4. The Sabres were without forwards Dylan Cozens and Jeff Skinner and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, all of whom are considered day to day with upper-body injuries. Granato did not rule out any of three players for Saturday’s game against Tampa Bay and said Skinner will practice with the team Friday.

5. The Sabres had a legendary goaltender in the building to witness Luukkonen’s performance. Dominik Hasek led the “Let’s Go Buffalo” chant prior to puck drop, then met with the Czech and Slovakia Fan Club after the game.