Lindy Ruff has settled into a clear goalie rotation since the Sabres have returned from the Olympic break. Colten Ellis hasn’t started a game since February 3 and with the exception of Tuesday’s game against the New York Islanders, Ukko Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon have traded on and off over the last 18 games. 

While the rotation has served the Sabres well, it has raised questions about how Lindy Ruff will opt to use his goaltenders once the playoffs begin. While more teams have shown a willingness to use multiple goalies in a playoff run, we’re still waiting to see a team fully commit to a proper rotation. That creates a challenge for the Sabres who are on track to end the season with a near even share of games played by Luukkonen and Lyon. 

The rotation the Sabres have settled into has been beneficial to them as they’ve stacked wins after the Olympic break. Ellis has been locked in as the nightly backup, allowing one of the starting tandem to have an entire day to rest ahead of his next start. Luukkonen and Lyon have appeared to benefit from the extra rest, with the tandem landing among the league leaders in several categories including raw save percentage and GSAx on the season. Snapping last week’s losing streak has helped earn Luukkonen the first back-to-back starts for a Sabres goaltender since February 2. It’s clear Ruff has grown comfortable with the rotation and it will be interesting to see how quick he is to return to it depending on the outcome of Tuesday’s game. 

Even though there are only eight games to play, it’s hard to say if starting Luukkonen is a nod to how Ruff will want to manage his goaltenders in the playoffs or if he’s simply rewarding Luukkonen’s strong play from Saturday and trying to ride a hot goalie. Whether or not Luukkonen’s start is a nod to who Ruff prefers for the playoffs, there are lessons that can be learned from Ruff’s history that may help paint the picture for Buffalo’s postseason goaltending rotation.

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