Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - It took a while, but the Buffalo Sabres' 11-game winless streak has, once again, taken them out of the playoff race by the holidays. In the past, it’s usually by Thanksgiving, but this year, it’s Christmas.
Buffalo is now 10 points out of a playoff spot. To get back into the race, this team would have to go on a 7-to-10-game winning streak, and they haven’t even won four in-a-row since January of 2023.
The Sabres will get defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and winger Sam Lafferty back into the lineup Friday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ryan McLeod did participate in the optional morning skate, and head coach Lindy Ruff says his availability depends on how he did in the skate.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will be in goal for the Sabres on Friday. He’s lost eight games in-a-row, going 0-6-2. In his last seven games, he has a goals-against average of 4.19 and a save percentage of .860.
In most of those games though, he's been under siege.
Luukkonen had a very good first period in Montreal against the Canadiens on Tuesday, but gave up four goals in the second period. He knows everything on this team needs to be better, including himself.
"You can’t expect things to change when you make the same mistakes every game," said Luukkonen following Thursday's practice. "If you don’t improve or do things differently, I don’t think anything will change. So everybody has to look at their own game. It’s not an overall how we play issue, it’s how everybody needs to be better."
In the Montreal game, the Sabres left one of the best shooters in the NHL, Patrik Laine, wide open to rip home three power play goals.
After the game, defenseman Connor Clifton was angry because he said the coaches had talked to them about Laine and what to do, and he didn’t do it. Laine and Luukkonen are both from Finland, so he, of course, knows what to expect.
"He’s a world class shooter, and he scored three goals against us," Luukkonen said of Laine. "I feel like it’s any power play. If you give them that much room, I mean, you could give that room to 'Tommer' [Tage Thompson] and he’ll score those. So I need to be better too, but we can’t expect things to change and make the same mistake. If you give him that many chances in the game, he will score."
Player accountability was a big talking point in the offseason. Players felt they needed to be much better at that.
"You can tell from the standings that we need to be better at that. You can just cruise around it, but I think everybody needs to be holding themselves more accountable," Luukkonen said. "I mean, it’s easy to tell your teammates to do this or that, but the hardest thing is to change your own game."
Ruff wouldn’t commit to the possibility of Devon Levi being called up from the Rochester Americans once again to play Saturday in Boston against the Bruins. If not, it’ll likely be James Reimer in net.
With Levi in goal on Sunday, Buffalo blew a 3-1 second period lead, and lost in Toronto, 5-3. In the second period, it took 2:31 for Buffalo to go from a 3-1 lead to a 4-3 deficit.
The Leafs have won 4-of-5 games, and are sixth in the NHL with a points percentage of .656.
Toronto is running into goaltender injuries, and have called up Matt Murray from the AHL's Toronto Marlies. Murray hasn’t played in the NHL since April of 2023.
The 30-year-old has played 272 NHL games, 26 in Toronto, 199 with the Pittsburgh Penguins and 47 with the Ottawa Senators. He won the Stanley Cup in his first two seasons in the league with the Pens.
Mitch Marner is eighth in league scoring with 10 goals and 32 assists for 42 points.
Will Nylander has 20 goals, which is fourth in the NHL.
Injuries have kept Auston Matthews to just 23 games this season. He has 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points in that span.
Friday is a radio only game for Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray. Join the Bulldog for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 6 p.m. EST, where you’ll hear more from Ruff, Luukkonen, Dahlin and Dylan Cozens.