Camp Notebook | Luukkonen returns with sights set on Sabres’ opener

It took an extra week, but Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is finally back on the ice with his teammates.

The Buffalo Sabres’ goaltender, whose lower-body injury held him out of the start of training camp, returned to practice Thursday at KeyBank Center.

“That’s the best part of the training: to play with the guys, skate with the guys,” said Luukkonen, who expects to be ready for the Oct. 9 regular season opener. “So, it was really fun to be on the ice.

“Of course, coming back, the pace is a little bit different, but in the end, felt good.”

Luukkonen confirmed general manager Kevyn Adams’ report from last week: he began experiencing pain while ramping up his late-offseason training and had to hit pause as a precaution.

“It’s really unfortunate,” he continued. “Felt I had a good summer. Felt I’m in a good spot, working on things which I wanted to work on. And having that happen and [going] through that during training camp always sucks. Overall, I feel like it’s a big year for me, so it’s not the thing you want to go through. But stuff like this happens, and you’ve just got to do your best to push through.”

That productive summer saw Luukkonen work on improving his speed and limiting unnecessary movement in the crease. With 155 NHL games under his belt, the 26-year-old said he’s gained a better grasp on the “small stuff” like caring for his body, working with the training staff and learning from his coaches off the ice. Physical improvement, he feels, will bolster his confidence between the pipes.

Luukkonen re-enters the fold with added competition at his position. Alex Lyon signed in Buffalo in July, and Alexandar Georgiev – who worked with the same goalie coach as Luukkonen a couple years ago in Finland – arrived earlier this month. James Reimer’s late-season run in 2024-25 proved that head coach Lindy Ruff will ride the hot hand, but the expected starter isn’t looking over his shoulder just yet.

“I feel like they’re all good guys, they’re all good goalies; it’s part of the job,” Luukkonen said. “You worry about your own stuff, you do your own stuff as well as you can. There’s never an easy day in this league. It’s exciting. It’s great to have a lot of good people in the room, and just excited to get the season going.”

Georgiev is scheduled to play all three periods of Thursday’s preseason contest in Detroit after shutting down Columbus for 40 minutes Monday. Lyon got a two-period showcase the following night and stopped 13 of 14 shots. Luukkonen, meanwhile, appears close to getting some game action of his own.

• Sabres at Red Wings | How to watch, lineup notes, and storylines

Here’s more from another day of training camp.

Kulich scratched

Jiri Kulich left the ice a few minutes into the Thursday game group’s morning skate and won’t play at Detroit.

Afterwards, Ruff said the forward tweaked a muscle but isn’t expected to be sidelined more than a couple days.

• Injuries and transactions | The latest on Kulich, Luukkonen, Tuch

Timmins talks local ties

Defenseman Conor Timmins, one of the Sabres’ right-shot acquisitions this summer, is expected to bring a simple, no-nonsense game to Buffalo’s blue line.

This marks the fifth NHL team for Timmins, who debuted with Colorado in 2019-20 and went on to play for Arizona, Toronto and Pittsburgh. But for the St. Catharines, Ontario, native, Buffalo hits especially close to home; he was at his parents’ lake house in Fort Erie, just across the Peace Bridge, when he learned of the June 28 trade.

“This is a dream come true for me, to be this close to home, to be playing for the city where everyone’s so hungry, the fans want it so bad,” Timmins said.

Unsurprisingly, he received plenty of ticket requests after the trade, and his parents bought season tickets to help keep up with that demand. Timmins, who celebrated his 27th birthday last Thursday, is getting a close-up view of a core childhood spot.

“I came to Sabres games probably more than Leafs games growing up, just with the proximity and how easy it is to get here,” he said. “I remember watching guys like (Jason) Pominville, Derek Roy, (Chris) Drury, Christian Ehrhoff and Ryan Miller. So, yeah, there’s a lot of memories for me coming to these games here.”

Almost there

In exactly two weeks, on Oct. 9, Buffalo will begin its 2025-26 regular season schedule at KeyBank Center against the New York Rangers. Stay tuned to Sabres.com for full coverage of the four remaining preseason games and training camp practices.

• Home Opener details: Player arrivals, autographs and entertainment