Postgame Report | Luukkonen makes 25 saves in preseason debut

ST. THOMAS, Ont. – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was reminded of his lone season of Canadian junior hockey with the Sudbury Wolves when he took the ice at Joe Thornton Community Centre, the 2,200-seat facility that played host to the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

It was an eventful day for Luukkonen and the other Sabres who made the trip to St. Thomas for the NHL’s annual Kraft Hockeyville preseason game. The team flew from Buffalo to London, Ontario early Wednesday morning and then took the half-hour bus ride to St. Thomas, where a crowd of eager fans awaited the arrival of NHL players in their hometown.

“It was an early wake up today but coming to the rink and seeing there’s so many kids being excited about the game, that makes it that much better,” Luukkonen said.

The excitement of the morning was balanced with the task at hand, which for Luukkonen meant a first taste of preseason action following a productive summer. The 24-year-old stopped 25 of 28 shots in two periods of work in what ended as a 5-2 Maple Leafs victory.

Jeremy Davies and Henri Jokiharju scored goals for the Sabres, who iced a mix of NHL veterans, prospects, and players on AHL contracts. Michael Houser relieved Luukkonen for the third period and stopped 11 of 13 shots.

Sabres coach Don Granato emphasized afterward that the purpose of Wednesday’s game for veterans making their debuts – which in addition to Luukkonen included Jokiharju, Owen Power, Dylan Cozens, and Victor Olofsson – had more to do with shaking off rust than evaluation.

“This is preseason hockey,” Granato said. “So, got to give time to guys in these moments to get back in a groove and that’s what we’ll do. This little bit is for that.”

Luukkonen echoed that mentality when assessing his own game. He stopped 13 of 14 shots during the first period, the exception being a point shot from defenseman Conor Timmins that deflected in off his blocker. Toronto’s next two goals came 1:28 apart during the second period on breakaways by Sam Lafferty and Max Domi.

“You’re never happy about it – any goals, really – as a goaltender,” Luukkonen said. “The first [goal], I don’t really know what happened, just rebounds off the blocker but I always want that back.

“But in the end, it’s kind of the first game of the preseason, the first game of the season, and [I'm] trying to see the whole picture. See what I did right and what I did wrong. And in the end, I felt good and I’m confident about my game.”

Luukkonen played an NHL career-high 33 games last season, which included a 13-game stretch from Dec. 15 to Jan. 28 that saw him go 10-2-1 with a .917 save percentage. He took confidence from that run into his offseason and has brought a growth mindset into training camp.

“Getting the first game helps a lot,” he said. “It’s easier to build up the confidence after that.”

Here’s more from preseason game No. 3.

How it happened

PERIOD 1

Despite being outshot 14-4 in the opening period, the Sabres and Maple Leafs went into the locker room tied 1-1.

Timmins struck first for the Leafs after taking a shot from the point that appeared to deflect in front of the net and over Luukkonen’s blocker.

The Sabres had an answer as Olofsson intercepted a Leafs clear attempt at the blue line to keep the puck in the Toronto zone. Cozens dropped a pass to Davies, who went top shelf over goaltender Martin Jones with 7:22 remaining.

PERIOD 2

The Sabres successfully killed off their second penalty of the night early in the period, but the group was unable to find the back of the net on a power play of its own.

After a Buffalo turnover on the power play, Matthew Knies snuck past the defense and passed the puck off to Sam Lafferty, beating Luukkonen for a shorthanded goal.

As the Toronto penalty expired, Timmins sent the puck down ice to Domi as he came out of the box on a breakaway and slipped one by Luukkonen with 5:54 left to put the Leafs up 3-1.

Jokiharju took a wrist shot from the point and knocked it off the post and in to bring the Sabres within one with 3:19 remaining.

PERIOD 3

Kyle Clifford added to the Leafs’ lead 2:18 into the final frame, assisted by Timmins.

Timmins closed out his night with a late power-play goal with 36 seconds left.

What we learned

1. Jokiharju skated on a defense pair with Power, which has been a trend throughout the early portion of training camp. The two have history as partners dating back to Power’s NHL debut in March 2022, which was spent playing alongside Jokiharju.

Jokiharju was asked what’s changed since then.

“We’ll see,” he said. “His hair is longer and his shot’s a little bit harder, that’s for sure.”

2. Pressed a bit more, Jokiharju expanded on his praise for Power.

“Every time I get asked that question it’s pretty much the same answer,” he said. “Just like, he’s just unreal. He’s that young and just so mature with the puck and he’s so tall and now he’s strong too, so I can’t wait for what the future holds, especially this year for him.”

3. Jokiharju is still only 24 years old himself, though it can be easy to forget given his already extensive resume. He’s played 273 games in the NHL, including 235 for the Sabres.

Luukkonen, his close friend and Finnish countryman, was asked what makes Jokiharju dependable.

“We’re the same age but he’s just such a professional and such a leader in his own way,” Luukkonen said. “The detail he puts into everything, it’s really impressive. So, you always kind of know what you’re going to get from him and he’s always going to give all he has. He’s one of the better players to have in front of you.”

4. Jokiharju pointed out how Cozens appears noticeably stronger and faster entering his age 22 season. Both factors were evident Wednesday and have been throughout camp, Granato said.

“We all know his quick acceleration, but … it looks like he’s put on a couple more pounds of strength,” Granato said. “He has more power than he had five months ago, there’s no question.”

Up next

The Sabres travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins for their fourth preseason game on Thursday.

The game will be streamed live on Sabres.com at 7 p.m. Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray will have the radio call on WGR 550.