DETROIT – Robby Fabbri shook his head in disbelief, gently tapped Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with the blade of his stick and skated toward the Red Wings’ bench Thursday night.
Fabbri had just unleashed a shot that appeared destined to tie the score in the final moments of the first period. Instead, the Detroit forward watched the Buffalo Sabres’ 6-foot-5 goaltender extend his left leg pad to steer away the shot and preserve his team’s lead.
"I saw somebody coming down the wing and he had the one-time chance from there," Luukkonen told The Buffalo News. "He didn't lift the puck too much, so I got the pad on it. That was one of the positives, for sure."
The highlight-reel stop capped an 18-save first period for Luukkonen, the lone bright spot in a flat opening 20 minutes for the Sabres in their second preseason game.
Playing behind a struggling Sabres team inside Little Caesars Arena, Luukkonen allowed five goals on 31 shots in a 6-2 loss that illustrated how much work is ahead for coach Don Granato and his players before the season opens Oct. 14.
The Sabres called an audible with their goalie plan to get a longer look at UPL.
"I think there was a lot of good things, especially the first period," Luukkonen added. "Getting into the pace of the game and making some good saves. It's good to learn that things happen so fast and the tide of the game can turn so fast. In the second period, they started to score off the chances they got. As a goalie, you want to make the one big save. You want to learn from those."
This was Luukkonen’s opportunity to show the coaching staff and management that he could be the answer in goal this season. Goalie coach Mike Bales even petitioned Granato to deviate from the initial plan to not have a goaltender play an entire game until later in the preseason schedule.
Luukkonen played well during the opening game of the Prospects Challenge earlier this month and a road game represented a potential measuring stick as the Sabres decide who should make the roster out of camp.
There were flashes of brilliance and difficult moments.
Luukkonen had 15 saves through 13 minutes and helped the Sabres kill a pair of penalties in the first 25 minutes. The quality of Detroit’s chances improved in the latter portion of the first period, including a shot from Pius Suter from the slot and a one-timer from Filip Zadina in the right-wing circle.
There are all kinds of pandemic-season tales in the hockey world. Sean Malone, the West Seneca native and Nichols School product who returned to the Sabres after a year out of the organization, has a doozy of his own.
"He bought us time," Granato said of Luukkonen. "He was sharp, exceptional and he fought all the way through the game, which is awesome. I was impressed with not only his first period but his battle level, his compete level all the way through."
"He was a game-changer, for sure," said winger Rasmus Asplund. "He held us in the game there, for sure. It was nice to see him play that well."
Luukkonen allowed a soft goal early in the second period when Suter’s shot led to a bad rebound and a Fabbri goal. Lucas Raymond then scored on a wrist shot from the slot when the Sabres gave him too much time and space. And Luukkonen was screened by four players on the goal that gave Detroit a 3-1 lead. Luke Witkowski beat Luukkonen cleanly on a shot following a faceoff win in the second period. Luukkonen also gave up the sixth goal of the game on a shot that went between his legs late in regulation.
Granato recently admitted that if the season started this week, Craig Anderson and Aaron Dell would be the Sabres’ goalies. They have what Luukkonen lacks: experience. But Luukkonen has the skill set to be a long-term starter. He’s a lengthy, athletic goalie who exudes confidence and has a championship pedigree. He led Finland to gold at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2019 and earned Ontario Hockey League MVP honors the same season.
Luukkonen has only 65 games of professional hockey since he was drafted in the second round in 2017, and the bulk of those games have come in the American Hockey League and ECHL. But saves the like the one on Fabbri in the first period are what the Sabres will need to help a young team progress under Granato. The Sabres' decision-makers will want to see more consistency from Luukkonen in the final weeks of camp.
Unlike most Sabres on the roster late last season, the coaching change wasn’t transformative for Skinner.
"I really appreciate that the coaching staff gave me the chance to play the full 60 minutes," said Luukkonen. "As a goalie, you always want that. Getting the 60 minutes, it's more of a game situation. You have to prepare yourself. It's good for them to see that a lot can happen. ... Now you want to look at the good things you can take with you and the bad things you have to improve."
1. The lineup: Dylan Cozens centered Rasmus Asplund and Tage Thompson. Arttu Ruotsalainen’s audition at center continued as he skated alongside J-J Peterka and Linus Weissbach. The other lines were Brett Murray-Sean Malone-Jack Quinn and Brendan Warren-Cody Eakin-John Hayden.
On defense, Mark Pysyk, a first-round draft choice of the Sabres in 2010, appeared in his first game since returning to Buffalo on a one-year contract in July. He was paired with Robert Hagg, while Will Butcher skated with Jacob Bryson and Brandon Davidson had Casey Fitzgerald as a partner.
2. Another test: Granato didn’t want Cozens to wait for another preseason opportunity. Only two nights after a disappointing showing in Columbus, Cozens was back on the Sabres’ top line in Detroit and experienced a slow start.
His line didn’t have much time in the offensive zone before Asplund scored the opening goal at 18:29 in the first period on a shot that leaked through Alex Nedeljkovic’s five-hole. It was a product of bad goaltending more than a spectacular effort by the Sabres’ winger.
“Jason Christie was a big part of things for me because of all his years of head-coaching experience,” Granato explained.
But the trio was solid in the second period, winning puck battles and creating off the rush. Cozens was stopped during a 2-on-1 and used his speed to create space for himself. He and Asplund had two points apiece, but Cozens also lost a faceoff that led to Witkowski’s goal.
"He played more direct," Granato said of Cozens. "I'm sure he had more shots. More straight-line net focus rather than the lateral and peripheral. He played with another level of determination tonight."
3. Stock up: Ruotsalainen’s low center of gravity will make him a threat in front of the net on the power play. The 5-foot-9 forward stands atop the crease and positions himself for the pass or rebound. This helped him score the Sabres’ second goal on a power play that Cozens kept alive by preventing Detroit from clearing the puck. Ruotsalainen will make this team. The question is where will he play. Early returns at center have been promising.
"He's really strong," Asplund said of Ruotsalainen. "We want to be strong in front of the net."
4. Stock down: Quinn wasn’t noticeable in Detroit. This may be the product of skating with different linemates, but the Sabres will need to see more from their 2020 first-round draft pick if he’s going to have any chance of making this team. He seems likely to start the season with the Amerks.
5: Notable stat: Cozens and Ruotsalainen went a combined 10-for-26 in the faceoff circle.
6. Next: The Sabres host Pittsburgh in KeyBank Center on Friday at 7 p.m.
