The Buffalo Sabres on Thursday recalled Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen from his AHL conditioning assignment with the Rochester Americans, giving them three goalies.
Luukkonen stopped 21 shots in Wednesday’s 4-2 win over the Syracuse Crunch, his first outing since suffering a lower-body injury Oct. 1 and exiting an exhibition game after one period.
The Finn, who was expected to be the Sabres’ No. 1 goalie, also missed the first week of training camp after tweaking a different lower-body injury late in the summer.
Wednesday’s contest marked his first full game since April 15.
In Luukkonen’s absence, the Sabres have received splendid goaltending. Veteran Alex Lyon has compiled a 2.55 goals-against average, a .924 save percentage and one shutout in six games. Rookie Colten Ellis, a recent waiver claim, stopped 27 shots in his NHL debut on Wednesday, a 4-2 home win over the Detroit Red Wings.
The Sabres start a home-and-home series with the Maple Leafs on Friday at KeyBank Center and play Saturday in Toronto.
Luukkonen, 26, is coming off a disappointing season in which his goals-against average ballooned from 2.57 to 3.20 and his save percentage dropped from .910 to .887.
“I feel confident to play. There’s nothing to complain about.”
From #Rochester, #Buffalo #Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is happy, finally healthy and excited to begin his season w/the #Amerks on a conditioning assignment in @TheAHL.https://t.co/cRnGnDdTDs
— Bill Hoppe (@BillHoppeNHL) October 21, 2025