The Buffalo Sabers loaned red-hot rookie goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to Rochester prior to Monday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, but it’s expected the team will continue to rotate Luukkonen in goal with Craig Anderson and Eric Comrie in Buffalo.
Comrie was activated off injured reserve Monday after completing his conditioning stint in Rochester and served as the backup to Anderson for the game against the Flyers in KeyBank Center. He went 1-2 with the Americans with a 3.03 goals-against average and .898 save percentage.
The Sabers have a tight fit on their 23-man roster for three goalies, and it’s plausible they could keep sending Luukkonen down in paper transactions to avoid putting a skater on waivers. The team plays four games for three straight weeks with a back-to-back in each one, so there will be an opportunity to get all the goalies game action.
People are also reading…
“We have three guys now getting healthy and we believe in,” general manager Kevyn Adams said prior to the game. “And we really like where UPL’s game is right now, the way he’s progressed in developing and the games he’s played, tough buildings, tough teams. He looks like he’s got a calmness to him. And there’s a confidence that our group has playing in in front of him, so that’s exciting.”
The only injured player the Sabers currently have is defenseman Henri Jokiharju, who has been out since Dec. 9 with a lower-body injury, but is back skating with the team and getting closer to a return.
“This is going to be a daily kind of roster management discussion, but we’re constantly having that,” Adams said. “And we’ve been having that for a few days, as Eric was getting closer through his rehab in Rochester.”
Luukkonen is 9-3-1, 3.49/.894 for the Sabers this season. But he has been stellar of late, winning his last six starts to forge the longest current winning streak by an NHL rookie goalie.
Over that stretch, Luukkonen has a 3.08/.918 stat line and has posted overtime wins at Boston and Washington, as well as Saturday’s 6-5 home thriller over Minnesota. Luukkonen made 39 saves in that game, with six coming in OT.
“We’re going to go day by day here. We’re going to make it work. Figure it out,” Adams said. “But for us the key on the UPL part is we really like where he’s at, and we want to see him keep getting reps and minutes here.”
.