As stunning as the Buffalo Sabres 7-0 win against the Kings was, the offensive release was very much needed.
BUFFALO — The way the Buffalo Sabres have piled up shots in recent games could’ve fooled everyone into thinking they were eventually going to have an offensive explosion. If there’s been anything predictable about their play of late it’s that Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen would at least give them a puncher’s chance to win because of how well he’s performed this season.
With the stumbling Los Angeles Kings in town, both things turned out to be true. Luukkonen stopped 33 shots en route to his fourth shutout of the season in a 7-0 blowout Sabres win.
Jordan Greenway had two goals and an assist and four other Sabres had two points. Alex Tuch, JJ Peterka, and Rasmus Dahlin each had a goal and an assist and Jacob Bryson had two helpers, including one to rookie Zach Benson for his first goal since December 15.
“I try to keep a level head,” Luukkonen said. “I think when we’re winning, it’s easier. But last couple games before this we were outshooting teams and I think those are the harder games to kind of keep a level head when we’re getting all the offense and you can’t score. In the end, you just have to face every shot the same. It doesn’t matter what point in the game it is.”
More on a huge offensive output and yet another brilliant game from Luukkonen ahead…
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A few of the Sabres recent games showed that they were able to generate a lot of shots but struggled with chances. That turned into a serious statistical correction on Tuesday night.
Benson scoring for the first time since mid-December is one thing, but Greenway continuing to play well and getting a pair is great to see. Even the power play got in on the action when Kyle Okposo tipped Dylan Cozens’s slap shot ripper past Kings goalie David Rittich to make it 3-0 in the first period.
The confidence we’ve seen from the Sabres since their California trip before the break that’s even been evident in losses after it shined as it always does when they’re finding the back of the net. From the opening shift of the game, the Sabres took it to the Kings and getting the first goal of the game set them up to cruise the rest of the way.
“You go into every game and you don’t know where the bar is going to be set, who’s setting it, which team is setting it, the energy levels,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “And you do all the preparation, but you don’t have the answer until you see the first few minutes of the game and get a feel for your bench and the engagement of your guys – just by the virtue of chatter and body language and movement. Are they fresh? Are they not? And there was no question, you could see – are they in sync? Are five guys in sync moving up and down the rink, thinking the same way tonight? That sort of thing. The first shift you’re looking for those parameters, and that first shift was one that showed that.”
The vibes were foreboding headed into this game. The Kings opened up a four-game road trip against Buffalo and were coming off a stunning win against Edmonton before they embarked. With interim coach Jim Hiller seemingly poised to get the Kings back on track and the Sabres having added Owen Power to their injured list earlier in the day, it was a gloomy outlook. Funny how things change when the puck is dropped sometimes though.
“We turned pucks over in really bad spots,” Hiller said. “So, there’s a time we’re not always going to connect. You can’t turn the puck over up the middle. That’s hockey 101. We failed that tonight big time. But if there was another poor area was our D-zone coverage. And for whatever reasons or a couple different things, we left people wide open on our net front. Confused ourselves in coverage. They did a good job, but we just we just didn’t. …
“I talked about getting back to our identity. Our identity is defense and D-zone coverage. That was nowhere near our identity tonight.”
Seeing the Sabres put it on a team that’s very much in the middle of a heated playoff race in the Western Conference is encouraging. That they’ve now swept the Kings in both games this season shows what they’re capable of doing (also how L.A. has become a bit messy after their great start, but never mind that now).
Still, for all the goals and how well they cycled and connected with each other and got the Kings defense all kinds of tied in knots, it comes back to Luukkonen continuing to be great.
Luukkonen is the first Sabres goalie to have at least four shutouts in a season since Ryan Miller in 2011-2012 when he had six. Every goalie metric highlights how excellent he’s been this year and how lights out he’s been since taking over the No. 1 job. The Luukkonen we’re watching now is confident, calm, and seeing and reading plays so well that there’s none of that hockey watching anxiety that comes from watching a team with a goalie that you’re not entirely sure is going to take care of their business.
What Luukkonen is bringing game in and game out now is what the Sabres have been dying to see from their young goalies for years. We saw it in spurts from Robin Lehner and Linus Ullmark in years past, but Luukkonen right now is accomplishing great things with confidence.
“I think he’s really in sync with how we play,” Granato said. “The shot selection that’s coming at him, the positioning of defensemen, where he can make a save and knows rebounds might be covered. Where shots are being forced, lots of shots being contested – even though they’re shot – or limiting second chances. He’s way more calm with pucks, even around him to just position, knowing that he doesn’t have to worry about everything. But way more calm in his game. Obviously, experienced. He’s gained experience. I think it’s a credit to him, his dedication, his work ethic.”
Granato mentioned the work coach Mike Bales has done with him but also gave credit to Devon Levi for providing the spark to inspire the competitive spirit in Luukkonen. Seeing Levi take over the net upon arrival from Northeastern last season, frankly, pissed off both Luukkonen and Eric Comrie. Although those guys played better later on in the year, it wasn’t enough to earn them starts as the Sabres rallied to get involved in the playoff race.
With those three back again this year and all three of them being in Buffalo for a fair share of the season, it was up to one of them to make their case to be the No. 1 and run with it. Luukkonen has done it and run away with the job.
“We had great mentorship in Craig Anderson and older goaltenders, but I think when Devon Levi came in and he had Devon Levi around, I think that was great for both of those guys,” Granato said. “It bumped him to a whole other – I mean to that point in Upie’s career, he felt like this young guy. ‘My success is off in the distance, maybe years from now.’ But when you see another capable goaltender at 20 years old, you realize, ‘Oh, I better do it now.’ And I think that was a nudge too that we felt was important for both of those guys. And I think they’ll thrive in that situation.”
Let’s give a stick-tap to Bryson for his play against the Kings as well. With Power out for at least the next week, it’s up to him to jump in and help steady the defense. Last season was tough for him all around, but he performed well on Tuesday night. Getting the opportunity to be back in the lineup is time for him to take advantage of the chance.
“I feel bad for these guys that are injured but I’ve just got always got to be ready in case something like that does happen,” Bryson said. “I hear my name in that lineup, and you know I’m always ready. I feel like that’s what I’ve been kind of working on the past two years because I’ve been in and out, so I feel like I’m getting better and better at it and trying to keep positive attitude and you know, when I do play I try and play my best.”