Boston Bruins
The Bruins eventually chased Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen from Game 2 after allowing four goals on 19 shots.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had a night to forget on Tuesday. AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes
The Boston Bruins had some puck luck fall their way on Tuesday night in Buffalo.
What initially looked like a harmless backhand flip by Morgan Geekie from center ice into Buffalo’s zone turned into a tally for the Bruins in Game 2 of its first-round series against the Sabres.
Geekie’s arcing mortar-esque dump-in seemingly made for an easy snag for Buffalo netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. But the Sabres goalie couldn’t glove the skittering biscuit as it touched back down on the ice — clanging off the frozen sheet and ricocheting toward the back of the net.
Geekie’s tally — his second of the series — gave Boston a 2-0 lead at 16:29 of the second period, quieting a raucous KeyBank Center crowd into a restless murmur of light boos directed toward Luukkonen.
The Bruins seized the momentum from Luukkonen’s gift, as Pavel Zacha redirected a feed from Pastrnak past Luukkonen once again less than two minutes later to give the visiting club a three-goal cushion.
Viktor Arvidsson scored his second goal of the night just 16 seconds into the third period — with Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff pulling Luukkonen from the 4-0 game.
Luukkonen finished the game with four goals allowed off 19 shots.
Beyond finally doling out damage in the offensive zone, the Bruins have fared better on Tuesday when it comes to stymying Buffalo’s shot-heavy approach.
After the Sabres landed seven shots on goal against Jeremy Swayman in the first 6:11 of ice time, Buffalo only peppered the Bruins’ goalie with seven more shots for the next 33:49 going into the second intermission.
Swayman is no stranger to seeing-eye goals from center ice.
While representing Team USA in the 2026 Winter Olympics, Swayman infamously coughed up a goal blasted in from the neutral zone by Denmark’s Nicholas B. Jensen during an eventual 6-3 win for the Americans in February.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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