Paradise, NV (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres' four-game, week-long road trip began with a clean sheet on Tuesday night. Visiting the Vegas Golden Knights, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was at the top of his game, and set the tone inside T-Mobile Arena.
After a handful of chances back-and-forth, Josh Doan opened the scoring on Tuesday evening in a bit of an unconventional way.
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 off of Hill.
At the other end of the rink was Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. He stole the show in a scoreless second period, as he made eight more saves to put his total at 19 through 40-minutes.
His best work came on a penalty kill, as he robbed Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev at the halfway mark of the stanza.
It was more of the same in the third period of play. Luukkonen made eight more saves for a nightly total of 27, and put the finishing touches on his eighth-career shutout (and first of 2025-26).
When he 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 some 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. Carolina has 15-games left to play; 14 remain for Buffalo.
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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
What's Next:
Game two of the road trip comes on Thursday night, March 19 against the San Jose Sharks. Puck drop at SAP Center is set for 10 p.m. ET with Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray on the call.