TORONTO — The Buffalo Sabres wanted to start rookie goalie Colten Ellis for their road game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night. After a win in his 27-save debut on Wednesday, Lindy Ruff wanted to get him his first test on the road. He even had Ellis head up to Toronto earlier than the rest of the team on Friday so he could get a proper night of rest. But then Ellis woke up on Saturday morning with back tightness.
That paved the way for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to get his first start of the season. Luukkonen, who was the Sabres’ presumed starter in net during the summer, got injured before training camp and then got a second injury in the only preseason game he played. After the game Ellis had on Wednesday, Ruff was non-committal about when Luukkonen would make his season debut. It came earlier than expected, in the second game of a back-to-back and against a tough opponent on the road.
And in the third period with the Sabres clinging to a 3-2 lead, Luukkonen couldn’t come up with the save his team needed. Leafs forward Dakota Joshua weaved through Buffalo’s defensive zone coverage without much resistance and then whipped an off-balance shot toward the net. Nicolas Roy was in front of the net, and Luukkonen said afterward he didn’t see the release of Joshua’s shot. He stabbed at the puck with his glove but whiffed, and suddenly the game was tied with 6:50 to play.
Dakota Joshua, 3-3 #LetsGoBuffalo #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/XsS3Bn2l36
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) October 25, 2025
“Frustrating for me,” Luukkonen said. “I felt like I was good until the third goal. Obviously I want that one back. I didn’t play perfectly on that goal and kind of gave away a point.
“I kind of missed the release on that one. You have to find the puck. It’s not an excuse that you don’t see the puck. Can’t think like that. Just have to play that one better.”
Because of that goal, the Sabres and Leafs ended up going to overtime. Until that point, the Sabres had played a strong third period. Tage Thompson scored on the power play to give Buffalo a 3-2 lead. Then the Sabres held the Leafs without a single high-danger chance in the final 20 minutes of the game.
“We played the game as well as you can play it in the third period,” Ruff said. “The goal we give up is the only chance in the third period.”
Then, in overtime, the Sabres had a few prime chances to win it but couldn’t convert. John Tavares got a free rush with Thompson in pursuit. He beat Luukkonen clean with a wrist shot from 24 feet. It was another opportunity for Luukkonen to make a big save, and he didn’t. The Sabres took the overtime loss. They got three out of a possible four points out of a back-to-back with the Leafs, which is a productive weekend. But they left wanting more.
Sabres had their chances but John Tavares comes down and rips one by UPL. Leafs win, 4-3 in OT. #LetsGoBuffalo #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/V9Nna1xkdC
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) October 25, 2025
“It’s a big ask stepping in right away and making an impact like that,” Thompson said. “I think everyone in the room has confidence in him and he’s going to find his footing here quick.”
Two things can be true.
1) This wasn’t the easiest spot for Luukkonen to make an unexpected season debut
2.) The Sabres needed more from him
After Luukkonen broke out with a strong four-month stretch at the end of the 2023-24 season, the Sabres rewarded him with a five-year contract extension worth $4.75 million per year. Last season, Luukkonen took a big step back in every major statistical category. Ruff turned to 37-year-old James Reimer at the end of a lost season because the veteran gave the team a better chance to win.
So Luukkonen was already a question mark coming into this season. The injuries and the way he played Saturday won’t make those questions any quieter. The good news for the Sabres is that general manager Kevyn Adams added more competition to Buffalo’s goalie depth chart in the last few months. Alex Lyon, signed this summer, has played like a No. 1 goalie in his first six starts. Ellis, claimed right before the start of the season, showed promise in his first start.
Luukkonen could shake off this first game rust and become a reliable option for the Sabres again. But they’re no longer overly reliant on that outcome. They needed him on Saturday night and they may need him again. But Lyon and Ellis look like the top two goalies on the depth chart right now.
Here’s what else we saw in Toronto.
1. In the first period, Jake McCabe hit Bowen Byram up high when Byram wasn’t looking, and Alex Tuch immediately jumped in to fight McCabe. Tuch ended up getting spun around, and McCabe landed a hard right as Tuch was off balance. McCabe just got the five minutes for fighting, while Tuch got an extra two minutes for instigating the fight and a 10-minute misconduct.
Akex Tuch stepped in after Bo Byram took a hit.. and he took a wallop from McCabe #LetsGoBuffalo #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/oUz3Z3QQ9E
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) October 25, 2025
Tuch and Ruff were both diplomatic about the call after the game. Ruff thought the hit was high and also thought McCabe got his gloves off before Tuch, so the instigator was a confusing one. But Tuch was clear about his intent in stepping in.
“I just want to stand up for my teammates and make it known we’re not going to be pushed around and you’re going to have to answer it,” Tuch said. “Obviously I was the one doing the answering. I wasn’t able to get my glove off and got a nice right hook from McCabe there. But I’m not afraid to do it. I know guys in here aren’t afraid to do it. That’s the type of team we are and that’s how tight-knit we are. That’s what we’re going to do going forward.”
2. Outside of the 17 minutes he spent in the penalty box, Tuch impacted this game throughout. On the Sabres’ second goal, Byram’s point shot ended up in the back of the net because Tuch and Josh Doan were setting a perfect screen in front of the net. Tuch’s netfront game has been as strong as it was last season.
3. Buffalo’s top line was rolling in this game. The Sabres had a 7-2 advantage in scoring chances when Thompson, Jiri Kulich and Zach Benson were on the ice at five-on-five. Thompson scored two goals, one of which came on a nice setup from Kulich. Kulich almost had a goal later in the game, but it was negated because of a goaltender interference on Benson, who was crashing the net. This was a strong line for Buffalo last season and it’s starting to look that way again.
4. Tyson Kozak is going to miss at least a week with a lower-body injury. The Sabres placed him on injured reserve and recalled Josh Dunne for this game against the Leafs. Buffalo has had a brutal run of injury luck early in the season, and Kozak’s injury is the latest example.