Awaiting word on UPL, Sabres remain confident in goaltending

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon was watching Tuesday’s first period from the Scotiabank Arena locker room when Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen exited with a lower-body injury. Colten Ellis entered in relief, making 16 saves in a 7-4 Sabres win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Lyon, a healthy scratch for the night, sprung into action, preparing as the emergency backup in case anything happened to Ellis. Usually he needs 20 minutes to get ready; on Tuesday he did it in eight.

Coach Lindy Ruff had no update on Luukkonen after Wednesday’s practice, but the Sabres are well equipped to survive whatever time he might miss. Each goalie has gone down with injury this season, yet Buffalo’s .897 save percentage ranks 11th in the NHL. And all three guys own a positive goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck: Lyon at 6.1, Luukkonen at 1.2 and Ellis at 0.1.

“With the injuries we’ve had, between UPL and Lyon, and Ellis with his concussion, three has been a blessing for us, it’s turned out,” Ruff said. “Sometimes tough to deal with, but it’s turned out to be a strength of ours. It’s got us through a lot of games.”

Preparation has helped the trio thrive – especially lately, with a league-leading .916 save percentage during this 19-3-1 run. Lyon credits goaltending coach Mike Bales for his success, and Ellis feels the pregame scouting meetings give him a good read on each opponent whether he’s playing or not.

Add in some friendly competition, and the Sabres have all the ingredients for consistently solid play in net.

“When Upie and I are going back and forth here in this last little bit, you always feel a little competitive with each other, and you don’t want to let the other guy down at the same time,” said the veteran Lyon, who’s had up-and-down experiences with three-goalie rosters in his career. “That’s really healthy, and Colten, he’s of the same mindset as both of us.”

“We have great communication every day, just picking each others’ brains and talking about different things we’re seeing,” added Ellis.

Lyon is expected to start Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings, and he’ll have a chance at a Sabres history. His ninth straight win, Saturday’s 26-save shutout on Long Island, tied Gerry Desjardins for the franchise record, so with a 10th he’d stand alone atop that leaderboard.

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“Really an incredible accomplishment,” Ruff said. “With the (Dominik) Haseks and (Ryan) Millers and going all the way back to the early 70s, you run through all those different goaltenders that have been here, and now, all of a sudden, he’s the one that has put together a streak like that.

“He’s put together a real impressive group of games for us, and (he’s) a big reason why we’ve been able to win the number of games we’ve won.”

Here’s more from Wednesday’s practice.

Wednesday’s practice lines

Greenway’s status

Forward Jordan Greenway has been in and out of the lineup all season for load management, as he hasn’t returned to 100 percent from last year’s sports hernia surgeries. He’s missed the last two games, and Ruff said it’s possible he sits through the February break.

“He’s gonna have a meeting with doctors again tomorrow and just try to figure out where we’re at with all this, and see if there’s something we can approach a little bit differently,” Ruff said. “He may have to go back and see his surgeon, just to get another opinion from him.

“… Greenway could play, but he’s really being hampered. So, the way we look at it, we’re healthy, we’ve got an extra guy.”

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That extra guy has been Tyson Kozak, who’s plus-two with 10:32 average time on ice in the last two games. He’s more of a speedy winger, compared to Greenway’s physicality, but he’s fit well on the fourth line whenever needed this season.

Kulich’s progress

Forward Jiri Kulich, out since Nov. 1 with a blood clot, has begun skating lightly and shooting some pucks. He’s not close to returning to the lineup, but this latest progress is encouraging.

“I don’t know if there’s a date on that, with what he’s been dealing with,” Ruff said. “There’s a period of time that he’s got to stay away from getting any kind of physical (contact) where a blood clot could become dangerous again.”

Practice sound

Up next

The Sabres host the Kings on Thursday at 7 p.m. MSG’s pregame coverage starts at 6:30.

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