Las Vegas, Nev. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres' four-game road trip out West began with a clean sheet on Tuesday night, as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was at the top of his game in a 2-0 shutout win over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena.
After a handful of chances back-and-forth, Josh Doan opened the scoring for Buffalo in a bit of an unconventional way.
After Vegas goalie Adin Hill was caught out of his goal crease too long trying to play the puck, Doan got to the scene quickly and banked in the game's first goal in off Hill.
At the other end of the rink was Luukkonen, who stole the show in a scoreless second period with eight saves to put his 40-minute total at 19 saves.
His best work came on a penalty kill scenario, as he robbed Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev at the halfway mark of the middle stanza.
It was more of the same in the third period of play, as Luukkonen made eight more saves for a nightly total of 27, and put the finishing touches on his eighth-career shutout and first of the 2025-26 season.
When Luukkonen needed some insurance most, the team answered as well.
With just under a minute left in regulation, Josh Norris deposited an empty-net goal to give the entire roster some breathing room in crunch time. Norris reached double-digit goals with the effort.
The team also set a new franchise record with points in their 11th-consecutive road contest.
Furthermore, the Sabres' victory vaulted them into a tie atop the Eastern Conference with the Carolina Hurricanes. Both teams boast 90 points on the season.
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SCORING RECAP
First Period:
BUF: 18:02 - Josh Doan (22) (Unassisted)
VGK: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: NONE
VGK: NONE
Third Period:
BUF: 19:02 - Josh Norris (10) ENG (Peyton Krebs, Mattias Samuelsson)
VGK: NONE
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BlueStar Home Services Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen - BUF
2.) Adin Hill - VGK
3.) Josh Doan - BUF
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What's next:
Game 2 of Buffalo's road trip comes Thursday night against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center. Puck drop is set for 10 p.m. with Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray on the call.