BUFFALO – When reality set in and Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen realized his lower-body injury would force him to miss the Olympics, he felt crushed.
Luukkonen had long hoped he could represent Team Finland at the Milano Cortina Games, and early last month, he earned a coveted roster spot.
Then on Jan. 27 in Toronto, nine days before the NHL paused its season for the tournament, he tweaked something early in the Sabres’ 7-4 win over the Maple Leafs.
“The couple days after that were pretty miserable for me to kind of know that I’m going to miss it,” Luukkonen said after participating in Thursday’s practice in LECOM Harborcenter, his first session since going down.
On Feb. 3, Finland named Boston Bruins goalie Joonas Korpisalo as his replacement.
“Kind of devastating to know that you can’t make it,” Luukkonen said. “It’s something that’s been in the back of my mind for a long time.”
After answering questions from family and friends for a couple of days after the announcement, he quickly shifted his focus and started to look forward.
The Sabres, whose season resumes Wednesday on the road against the New Jersey Devils, have what Luukkonen called a “huge playoff push coming.”
Right now, having earned 70 points (32-19-6), they own the Eastern Conference’s first wild card spot. With 25 games left in the season, they control their own destiny as they try to end their NHL-record 14-year playoff drought.
“We have something special going on right now, and being healthy for that again, I think that’s what mentally has gotten me through (the injury), too,” Luukkonen said.
The break has provided Luukkonen ample time to recover and rehab – “That’s really the silver lining of this whole unfortunate thing,” he said – instead of rushing back.
“The little bit of time we have before the games even start is going to be good for me,” said Luukkonen, who represented Finland in last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off but did not play.
Luukkonen has battled injuries throughout the season, also missing time in training camp and again early in the campaign.
Still, he found a groove as the Sabres began roaring up the standings. Since Dec. 21, he has registered a 7-2-1 record with a 2.56 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in 11 outings.
The Sabres need Luukkonen, who has shared time with veteran Alex Lyon and rookie Colten Ellis this season, to showcase that sturdy form down the stretch if they want to end their embarrassing run of futility.
Overall, he has compiled an 11-7-2 mark with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage in 21 games this season.