The Sabres don’t need to reinvent their goaltending plan. Last season showed them exactly what works.
A three-goalie setup kept Buffalo afloat all year, and it was more than just a safety net. When Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen missed the opening weeks with injury, James Reimer?
No - the source names Eric Comrie? Actually, the Sabres used Alex Lyon and James Reimer?
No. Need use only source facts.
The three-goalie rotation featured Luukkonen, Lyon and Ellis, with Ellis arriving as a waiver claim from the Blues when Luukkonen was out. Ellis later got concussed in Edmonton in December, and Lyon came in mid-period and helped spark the team’s 10-game winning streak.
When Lyon was hurt later that month, Luukkonen took back the net and carried the Sabres through January. Again and again, when one goalie’s run cooled off, another picked up the slack.
“It worked out almost a little too good there with the injuries and how everything lined up perfectly every time,” Luukkonen said. “It was a really good rotation for us. You would feel mentally and physically ready before every game, and if there was an injury, you didn't feel the need to rush back.”
Lyon pointed to another key piece of the puzzle: the group around the netminders, including goaltending coach Mike Bales.
“I think you have to throw (goaltending coach) Mike Bales in there, as well. … The four of us - and the three of us goalies - got along really well.
And we also pushed each other, which I think was a big part of it. There are times when we’re all very competitive with each other, and I think that we all have competitive personalities, and that helps drive you throughout the course of a long season.”
Buffalo may have even more reason to keep that structure intact this year. The season is stretching to 84 games, and the new CBA adds another twist: teams now have to officially name an emergency backup goalie, or EBUG, who has no NHL experience and no professional experience in the last three years. The Sabres recently filled that role with Jack McNaughton, who spent the last four seasons at University of Western Ontario.
Carrying three NHL goalies gives Buffalo protection if something goes wrong, and it also lets Luukkonen, Lyon and Ellis take the occasional maintenance day without forcing anyone back into action too soon.
“Instead of an EBUG, why wouldn’t you just have three?” coach Lindy Ruff said, adding that he used to be against the idea.
“What if both goalies go down, or both goalies are sick? The three goaltenders worked.
I think we proved it that it worked. I know it's a new concept for a lot of people, but there was more than one team that was carrying three goaltenders for a great part of the year.”
There’s also a practical roster issue. If the Sabres try to send Ellis to Rochester, he’d have to clear waivers, and another team could claim him after what he showed in his short NHL sample.
Lyon, as usual, kept the bigger picture in view. He said Buffalo got fortunate last season because the injuries never really overlapped, and he noted that what happened in 2025-26 doesn’t promise anything for 2026-27. Still, the Sabres are bringing back the same trio, and that gives them a solid chance to keep stopping pucks at a useful rate.
“There’s always adversity on the way,” Lyon said, “and if you’re prepared for it, it just makes it that much easier to get over and move past.”
In Other News...
Former Sabres Piece Already Facing Heat In Washingtons Long-Term Debate
Alex Tuchs move out of Buffalo and into Washington has already become part of a much bigger conversation than a simple change of scenery. The former Sabres winger landed an eight-year, $84 million deal through a sign-and-trade, and his contract now sits alongside Boone Jenners four-year, $23 million free-agent pact and Pierre-Luc Dubois eight-year extension as the kind of long-term commitment that can define a roster for years. For a Capitals team trying to shape its next stretch under Spencer Carbery, the price tags are as much a storyline as the players themselves.
The debate is less about the ink on the contracts than what comes next, because each deal will be judged by whether the production matches the commitment. Tuch brings the kind of familiarity and versatility that made him attractive, but Washingtons long-term discussion is already turning toward whether these expensive bets will look smart in hindsight or become the contracts fans point to when the lineup starts to feel top-heavy. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Training Camp Could Reshape Two Overlooked Roster Battles
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Kozak is in the mix because he has already shown he can be part of the discussion, while Danforth brings the kind of experience Buffalo can use if he is healthy and effective. Komarov, meanwhile, is one of those depth pieces whose value often shows up through opportunity rather than headlines. For a Sabres team trying to sort out the back end of the roster, these are the battles worth watching because the final decisions may come down to who can seize a narrow opening before it disappears. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Face One Big Blue Line Question After June Trades
The Sabres spent June reshaping their blue line, sending out Bowen Byram and Michael Kesselring while bringing in Olen Zellweger and Louis Crevier to keep the defense stocked. With Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson returning, the organization still has a familiar backbone in place, but the trades made it clear Buffalo wanted more options and a different mix on the back end heading into the new season.
Jarmo Keklinen has already pointed to the challenge of fitting the newcomers into roles that make sense, and Zellweger has talked about what he can bring to the group. The bigger question now is not whether the Sabres have enough defensemen, but how the pieces will settle once camp starts and which of the new arrivals can carve out the kind of job that actually sticks. [Read more 🡒]