Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen turned aside 27 shots to record his first shutout of the season and eighth in his NHL career, leading the Buffalo Sabres to a 2-0 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday.
Josh Doan and Josh Norris scored for Buffalo (42-20-6), who have surged to a 10-1-0 record since returning from the Olympic break. With the win, the Sabres are now tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the Eastern Conference. Carolina, however, holds a game in hand after a 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.
Advertisement
Adin Hill stopped 23 shots in the loss for Vegas (31-23-14), snapping a two-game winning streak. The Golden Knights fell to third place in the Pacific Division, trailing the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks by a single point. Edmonton, which has played one more game, defeated the San Jose Sharks 5-3 on Tuesday.
The game’s opening goal came late in the first period. At 18:02, Doan capitalized on a miscue behind the net by Hill, banking a shot off the goaltender’s right pad to give Buffalo a 1-0 lead. Norris sealed the victory with an empty-net goal at 19:02 of the third period, finalizing the 2-0 scoreline.
With Luukkonen’s standout performance and the Sabres’ continued dominance post-Olympics, Buffalo is asserting itself as a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference heading down the stretch.
The Sabers were coming off a 3-2 shootout victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.
Advertisement
Jack Quinn was the hero for the Buffalo Sabres in that game, scoring the game-tying goal in the second period and delivering another crucial goal in the shootout.
In the shootout, Quinn started wide on the right wing before cutting to the middle and firing a precise wrist shot under Joseph Woll’s blocker to open the scoring for Buffalo.
Owen Power also contributed a goal in regulation, while Alex Lyon made 16 saves to secure the win for the Sabres.
Alex Tuch added a goal in the shootout, with Lyon coming up big by stopping one attempt and forcing another to miss the net, sealing the victory for Buffalo.
The Golden Knights, however, have been struggling as of late as they’ve dropped seven of their last 10 games.
Image
