Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – While the Buffalo Sabres were on break, the NHL named goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen Rookie of the Month for January. Luukkonen says it isn’t something he was thinking about, but he was honored to be recognized.
“It’s cool. It’s always nice when you get recognition from the league, but it also tells how well we’ve been playing as a team,” said Luukkonen.
When general manager Kevyn Adams talks about Luukkonen, he brings up how calm he’s become in net, and how much he’s matured since being called up from the Rochester Americans.
“The calmness comes from being more comfortable, and when you’re comfortable, you’re more confident. All those things go hand-in-hand,” Luukkonen said.
The team has been off since Feb. 1, while their opponent on Saturday - Calgary Flames - have played twice, losing in New York to the Rangers, 5-4 in overtime, and 2-1 in Detroit to the Red Wings.
That means Luukkonen has had no games and just two practices in that span. Despite that, he’s not too worried once he gets back into game action.
“It’s enough time," Luukkonen said. "You can practice as much as you want, but in the end, it’s about the games. It takes a little bit to get back used to the game speed.”
The Sabres are three points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Buffalo is also four points back of the Washington Capitals. The Sabres and Penguins are even in games played, with Pittsburgh playing in Anaheim late Friday night. The Sabres have three games in-hand on the Caps, and play them two more times this year.
Buffalo trails the New York Islanders by three points in the standings, but have five games in-hand. The Sabres are also two points back of the Florida Panthers and have played four fewer games.
Luukkonen missed the three rounds of the Calder Cup Playoffs in Rochester last season due to injury, so this 32-game march to the playoffs is his first time in these types of games. He’s looking forward to it, especially since he couldn’t participate in Rochester.
“Especially watching from the stands, how well we did in Rochester, and how cool of an experience it was," Luukkonen said. "We’re a really young team, and everyone wants to show how good hockey players we are. So it’s something that gives us a lot of motivation.”
Ever since head coach Don Granato took over behind the bench, he has preached about staying in today and not worry about tomorrow. He said these guys being in their first playoff race can be a distraction if they let it.
“That’s a potential challenge, without question, to keep people in the moment," said Granato. "You have to learn how to stay zeroed in on what wins hockey games, what helps you produce in hockey games. The more excitement that doesn’t fall in line with that, can become a distraction.
“It is exciting to be in a playoff race, and you will look at the standings more than you would otherwise and because you do that. That could become a distraction.”
So how is Granato going to keep it from becoming a distraction?
“We need to discuss that and identify that, saying you can look at them, but it’s irrelevant to how you're going to perform this next game," he said.
“You control what you can control, where’s your attention going? Is it going into your preparation for the next game or is it going into a dream about state? We can’t afford to go into a dream about state.”
The Sabres went into the break getting waxed at home by the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-1. Before that, Buffalo had picked up points in seven-straight games, going 5-0-2. If you want to go with the glass half-empty approach, Buffalo has lost two-straight games.
Tage Thompson and Tyson Jost practiced fully on Friday and will play on Saturday.
Due to inactivity, Thompson is now eighth in league scoring with 34 goals and 34 assists for 68 points. Thompson has points in six out of his last seven games, scoring three goals and seven assists for 10 points.
Alex Tuch has points in eight of his last nine games, scoring four goals and six assists for 10 points.
Buffalo played a good game in Calgary on Oct. 20, winning 6-3. Tuch had the hat-trick in that game.
Dan Vladar was in goal for that game and he's expected to play again on Saturday. Vladar is 11-5-4 this season with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage.
Elias Lindholm leads Calgary in scoring with 15 goals and 31 assists for 46 points in 51 games.
Calgary’s prized free agent signing this past offseason was Nazim Kadri. He did play in the NHL All-Star Game, but only has 38 points in 52 games.
Matthew Tkachuk wanted out of Calgary, so they sent him to the Florida Panthers for an older Jonathan Huberdeau. That’s been a disaster so far, as the 29-year-old Huberdeau has gone from 30 goals and 85 assists for 115 points in 80 games to 10 goals and 23 assists for 33 points in 49 games.
I got the opportunity to speak with Thompson about Dylan Cozens' seven-year contract extension on Friday. I asked what it will mean to have two very good centers locked up for seven seasons, and he was emphatic with his answer.
"He helps our whole team," said Thompson. "He's extremely strong on the puck, he's very gifted offensively, and the biggest thing that stands out is his speed. He's super competitive, and when you have someone like that who is that hungry to win and get better, it pushes guys around him to get better. With him, there's going to be no days off. So if you don't show up ready to work, he's going to hold you accountable."
Join us on Saturday when Brian Koziol and Pat Malacaro get us started at 11 a.m. EST. At 11:40 a.m. EST, I’ll join in along with Adams to find out his thoughts on the March 3 NHL Trade Deadline.
You’ll also hear from Granato and Thompson before the 12:37 p.m. EST faceoff.
