BUFFALO – Following a perfect 40-minute outing in the preseason opener, Sabres goalie Alexandar Georgiev will likely start again Thursday in Detroit or Saturday afternoon at home against the Red Wings.
One week into training camp, No. 1 goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen hasn’t practiced. In the coming days, if he doesn’t return from his lower-body injury he recently tweaked, his status for the season opener Oct. 9 could be in question.
Each day the Finn misses increases the chances Georgiev, 29, will begin the campaign on the 23-man roster alongside goalie Alex Lyon, a veteran the Sabres signed on July 1.
Inking Georgiev to a one-year, $825,000 contract on Sept. 11 beefs up the Sabres’ depth and allows goalie prospect Devon Levi to keep developing in the minors if Luukkonen misses time.
The deal ended a marathon offseason Georgiev spent preparing at home in Moscow.
“Free agency didn’t go like we planned, but at the same time, I knew I would get a good shot somewhere,” he told the Times Herald following Tuesday’s practice in KeyBank Center. “For me, just keep working at it, focus on the process … knowing that there will be an opportunity somewhere. This opened up.”
Adding another established netminder is a low-risk, high-reward move.
If the Sabres don’t need Georgiev or he struggles – he endured a brutal season with the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks in 2024-25 – they can simply waive him. If he recaptures some of his old form, they might have a special talent.
Remember, he played in the NHL All-Star Game less than two years ago. He led the league in wins two consecutive years, registering 40 in 2022-23 and 38 in 2023-24.
Georgiev looked sharp In Monday’s 4-0 win in Columbus, stopping all 16 shots the Blue Jackets pumped on him before Levi replaced him for the third period.
Coach Lindy Ruff has been emphasizing the Sabres must showcase a tighter style and cut down on their goals against. While it can be hard to put a lot of stock in an exhibition performance, on Monday, the Sabres limited chances around their goalies.
“We stayed away from high-danger situations,” Ruff said. “(Georgiev) didn’t have to make a lot of great saves, but (he) made the saves he needed to make.”
The 6-foot-1, 178-pound Georgiev couldn’t stop much last season, compiling a ghastly .875 save percentage between his two teams that ranked 61st in the NHL.
Yes, some of his woes can be traced to playing behind the hapless Sharks, who allowed an NHL-high 310 goals and an average of 31.8 shots per game, the second-highest number.
But his problems began in Colorado two years ago. In 2023-24, a season after finishing seventh in the Vezina Trophy voting, his save percentage dropped from .918 to .897 and his goals-against average ballooned from 2.53 to 3.02.
He wasn’t any better last season. On Dec. 3 in Buffalo, he allowed four goals on eight shots in the opening 11 minutes, 49 seconds before Colorado mercifully yanked him from a game it rallied to win 5-4.
Six days later, the Avalanche traded him to the Sharks. He enjoyed working with their goalie coach, Thomas Speer, and tried to bring his experience to a rebuilding team as he handled a heavy workload.
Still, he said last season was “not fun.”
“But at the same time, you try to learn from that experience,” he said. “Coming to San Jose, they’re a young team, they were trying to figure out what makes a winning team, and I felt, yeah, a lot of the times we were in the games but just couldn’t quite get what it’s like to consistently win.”
While Georgiev’s body of work is much better than last season, some of his numbers – for example, he compiled an .874 save percentage with the Avalanche – illustrate why he lasted 72 days on the free agent market.
At his best, Georgiev said he plays a “patient” style and utilizes his quickness.
“I’m really quick on my feet, I would say,” he said. “So just being able to beat the passes and be square to shooters is something I feel I can be really good at and something I work on, for sure, and be a competitor.”
Perhaps Georgiev will earn regular-season action for the Sabres or even play a prominent role. Or he could end up on waivers or playing somewhere.
He said he tries not to think about the Sabres’ other goalies.
“I’m just focused on myself,” he said. “I know I’m a really good goalie. I’ve got big goals for myself, so (I’m) just trying to focus on that, get to work with a new goalie coach, (Mike Bales), see what he can hopefully add to my game. (I’m) just excited about being a big part of the team here.”