Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Buffalo Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen practiced for the second-straight time on Friday after missing all of training camp.
Things seem to be going well for Luukkonen, and head coach Lindy Ruff says if things continue to go well, his goaltender will play both preseason games next week against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Alex Lyon will go the distance in net Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings in Buffalo. Ruff adds that winger Alex Tuch is ready, and will play against the Wings.
On the first day of training camp, general manager Kevyn Adams said Luukkonen had a good summer of training. The goaltender told reporters on Thursday he absolutely hated not being able to be on the ice.
"It does suck when you’re skating on your own, because it’s the best part of the training camp to play with the guys. So it’s fun to be on the ice," said Luukkonen.
While Luukkonen said it felt good, he admits the pace was different.
Luukkonen didn’t want to get too far into the injury, but said it was a lower-body issue that flared at the end of the summer.
"It’s just trying to get it under control and get me back on the ice," Luukkonen said.
The 26-year-old is in competition with Lyon and now Alexandar Georgiev for playing time. That’s why it hurts more not to play.
"It’s really unfortunate," Luukkonen said. "I felt I had a good summer and was in a good spot working on the things that I wanted to work on. And then that happened, and to go through that during training camp always sucks.
"Overall, I feel like it’s a big year for me. It’s not the kind of thing you want to go through, but stuff like this happens, and you’ve got to do your best to fight through it."
For Luukkonen, it’s not personal goals he looks at. It’s team goals.
"It’s for everybody in this room. It’s to win games and fight for a playoff spot," Luukkonen said. "I’ve got to play well, because you’ve got to play well as a goalie to win games. That’s what you’re most focused on, just helping your team to win."
The crease is crowded now, but Luukkonen can only control one thing.
"I feel like they’re all good guys and goalies. It’s part of the job. You worry about your own stuff as well as you can," he said. "It’s exciting to have a lot of good people in the room, and to get the season going."
As far as what Luukkonen was trying to improve on, it was the little things.
"Getting faster, getting more solid, being more in control of your own body. It’s so important as a goalie to be able to control your body and control the game that way," Luukkonen said.
That included limiting extra motion and moving better.
Luukkonen thinks he will be ready when the season starts on Thursday, Oct. 9 against the New York Rangers.
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Meanwhile, defenseman Mattias Samuelsson missed practice on Friday with an upper-body injury.
"We’ll have him evaluated," said Ruff on Friday after practice. "He had a good practice yesterday, and maybe that affected what's been bothering him a little bit. We’ll just see."
With Samuelsson out, that would elevate Zac Jones into the top-six defensive group.
Join Pat Malacaro and myself on Saturday for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 2 p.m. when you’ll hear from Ruff, Luukkonen and Ryan McLeod.