Two in the Box

Once again, there are more questions than answers in the Buffalo goal crease as the offseason approaches. 

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen did not carry the play that earned him a five-year extension into this season. Instead, his continued regression threw another log onto the burning wreckage of this season as he’s seemingly ceded starting duties to James Reimer over the last two weeks. 

Luukkonen was one of the bright spots of the 2023-24 season and served as the unquestioned starter for the majority of this season, despite his up and down play. Only recently has Lindy Ruff changed course, starting Reimer in all but two of the last eight games. Luukkonen has only started on the front half of two back-to-back sets, taking losses on March 22 and 29 against Minnesota and Philadelphia, respectively. It’s a complete course reversal from Ruff, who played Luukkonen in eight of the first 10 games of March, only playing Reimer twice, with his starts coming 17 days apart. 

For his part, Reimer has been steady. He won’t be mistaken for a Vezina candidate any time soon, but he’s made timely saves and the results have followed. He’s won five straight and posted a 4-1-1 record to Luukkonen’s 3-7-0 mark in March (Reimer is 5-1-1 in his last seven after Tuesday’s win in Ottawa). While Reimer has had three stellar starts over this current run, Luukkonen’s play has been defined by leaky goals and poor results. In the month of March alone, he’s allowed five or more goals on four occasions while allowing two or fewer just twice. 

With the season long over, how this affects Buffalo’s approach to the offseason is a far bigger issue. And specifically how they choose to manage Devon Levi. 

Continue reading →