Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will miss the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics due to a lower-body injury sustained on January 27th in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The announcement was made on Tuesday, February 3rd, delivering tough news for both the Sabres and Team Finland.

Luukkonen, 26, was initially named to the Finnish Olympic roster but will now be unable to compete. He was injured early in the game against the Maple Leafs and was removed from the 7-4 win. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff stated on Monday that Luukkonen was showing signs of progress but had not been on the ice with the team since the injury occurred. Ruff had previously mentioned on January 29th that they weren't ruling Luukkonen out of the Olympics but would assess his condition early the following week.

Joonas Korpisalo of the Boston Bruins will replace Luukkonen on Team Finland. Korpisalo, a 31-year-old native of Pori, Finland, has a 10-8-1 record with a 3.12 goals-against average and an .895 save percentage in 21 games this season. He has represented Finland in the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2013 and the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships in 2017, where he helped Finland to a fourth-place finish.

Korpisalo will join Kevin Lankinen of the Vancouver Canucks and Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators as the goaltending options for Finland's coach Antti Pennanen. He will also be joined by his Bruins teammate, defenseman Henri Jokiharju.

Luukkonen's absence is a significant blow to Team Finland, as he has been a key player for the Sabres this season. In 21 games, including 20 starts, he has an 11-7-2 record with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage.

The Sabres are currently focused on a playoff push, and prioritizing Luukkonen's full recovery is a prudent decision. Alex Lyon is expected to take on the majority of goaltending duties for the Sabres during Luukkonen's absence.

Luukkonen is one of three Sabres players chosen to participate in the Olympics, along with defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (Team Sweden) and forward Tage Thompson (Team USA).

Team Finland is set to begin the Olympic tournament on February 11 against Team Slovakia. They will compete in Group B alongside Italy, Slovakia, and Sweden.