Ukko-pekka Luukkonen returns with 28-save win in Game 4
ukko-pekka luukkonen returned to the Sabres net Tuesday and turned aside 28 shots in a 3-2 win over the Canadiens. Buffalo tied the Eastern Conference Second Round at 2-2, and the victory sent the series back to Buffalo with Game 5 set for Thursday at KeyBank Center.
Luukkonen steadies Buffalo
Luukkonen’s first start since April 21 came after Buffalo had used Alex Lyon in the crease for six straight games. He had been replaced by Lyon in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Boston Bruins, then watched Lyon start the next game and the six after that.
Tuesday gave the Sabres a different look. Luukkonen allowed two goals, but he held Montreal to one goal on seven power plays and gave Buffalo the stop it needed while the game tightened in the third period.
Benson finishes the job
Zach Benson scored the winner at 4:41 of the third period on his 21st birthday. That goal erased Montreal’s 2-1 lead and pushed Buffalo back in front in a game that swung on special teams and one late finish.
Cole Caufield had put Montreal ahead when he scored on the power play at 19:47 of the first period. Bowen Byram’s two high-sticking penalties, including one at 2:23 of the second period, gave the Canadiens repeated chances, but Buffalo’s penalty kill survived enough of them to keep the margin within reach.
Ruff leans on saves
Lindy Ruff said Luukkonen’s stops on the penalty kill changed the feel of the game. “Those are the saves that everybody’s up on the bench,” he said. “They’re game-changers.”
He added, “It is the time of year where you need big saves. You’d say our penalty killing was good, but a big part of our penalty killing was getting a big save at a big time. And he gave us, I would probably say three or four on the 'PK' at big times.”
Luukkonen said, “It wasn’t the start I necessarily wanted, giving them that lead at the end of the first,” but he said it felt good to “stick with it” and make “a couple of saves there at the start of the second period to keep it a close game.”
He had 34 starts in the regular season and went 22-9-3 with a 2.52 goals-against average, and Tuesday’s return put him back in the crease at a point where Buffalo needed it most. The series is level again, and the Sabres get Game 5 at home with the net now in Luukkonen’s hands.
