The Buffalo Sabres have had their share of issues through the first third of the NHL season, with a crippling series of injuries to key players, a continuing high level of inconsistency, and managing only one win on the road, but as the club is getting their injured players back, their goaltending has not contributed to them being able to climb back into the Eastern Conference playoff race.
On Wednesday, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed three goals on 18 shots in a 4-2 loss in Pittsburgh, and on Friday Alex Lyon allowed five goals on 23 shots in a 5-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils. Lyon, who was making his first start in nearly three weeks, took ownership of his performance after the game.
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“It’s been a while since I’ve won a game, and for me, that’s really the most important thing and (it’s) just disappointing and I got to find a way to do a little bit more.” Lyon said. “My job is to stop pucks and that’s all I’m going to focus on. I’m not going to beat myself up over it, but (it’s) important that everybody holds themselves accountable.”
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The Sabres goaltending situation is not ideal, but was something that was thrust upon them after Luukkonen was injured prior to and during training camp. It necessitated signing Alexandar Georgiev to a one-year contract (who terminated his deal last week and signed with Spartak of the KHL) and claiming rookie Colten Ellis on waivers from St. Louis. The club continues to carry three goalies on the NHL roster and all three have had limited runs as the primary starter, but none have taken the bit and run with it, and head coach Lindy Ruff says that is a difficult situation to navigate.
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“It’s not an easy process to go through. It’s not easy for them. It’s not easy for myself, but it is, and was based on the fact that we had a goaltender we didn’t know if he was gonna be healthy or not,” Ruff said. “ “I think we’ve done a good job trying to work through it. Alex was working on some stuff with his game and that was the reason we didn’t play him. He missed more time than we (would have liked) and you don’t want to see a guy sit down long in between games.”
With both Luukkonen and Lyon coming off subpar outings, it is possible that Ellis, who last started in a 6-2 loss to Calgary, gets the start in Minnesota on Saturday.
Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson left the ice midway through the third period after a collision with Devils forward Timo Meier. Ruff indicated that the blueliner was in concussion protocol and did not have an update, but with the Sabres playing on Saturday, it is possible that Zach Metsa subs in for Samuelsson against the Wild.
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