Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen wasn't able to bail out the Sabres when they began to make mistakes in the second period. Their starting goalie was outplayed by Penguins backup Alex Nedeljkovic, as Pittsburgh scored four consecutive goals and held on for a 5-2 win in KeyBank Center.
The Sabres welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins to KeyBank Center Friday night. Buffalo looks to make it back to back wins this week at home as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen gets the start in net.
The Penguins snapped a three-game losing streak, improving to 19-20-8. The Sabres, now 17-23-5, will look to address their defensive and penalty-kill issues. Earlier this season they lost 11 straight games and have lost five of their last eight games.
Buffalo recorded a season-high 42 shots in the loss. A rough second period, with six penalty minutes and three goals allowed, sank the Buffalo Sabres as they lost 5-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday at KeyBank Center.
Luukkonen stopped 14 of 18 shots in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Penguins. The fifth goal was an empty-netter.
Not only did Nedeljkovic become the first goalie in NHL history to have a goal and an assist in the same game, but he also made 40 saves to lead the Penguins to a 5-2 win over the Sabres.
In a game that kicked off a critical seven-game road trip across the country as the Pittsburgh Penguins try to climb back into a playoff spot, they rode an efficient power play and strong goaltending on Friday while shedding some bad habits to down the Buffalo Sabres 5-2.
Luukkonen was sharp in Wednesday's 4-2 win over Carolina as he turned aside 35 shots. Luukkonen is 14-13-4 with a pair of shutouts, a 2.99 GAA and an .898 save percentage. The Penguins are averaging 2.96 goals per game in 2024-25.
The Sabres placed forward Ryan McLeod on the reserve list with an undisclosed injury and called up goaltender Devon Levi on Saturday before traveling west to begin a four-game road trip. McLeod skated 16:56 of ice time as Buffalo’s top-line center in Friday night’s 5-2 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins,
Zion Williamson highlighted a 24-point, 14-rebound performance with an array of thunderous dunks during a dominant fourth-quarter stint, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Utah Jazz 136-123 on Friday night to open a two-game set.
The Sabres reverted to their discouraging habit of surrendering leads in a 5-2 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night at KeyBank Center. Giving up goals 27 seconds apart to go from leading to trailing early in the second period,