For Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, the challenge is simple: Help the Sabres get back to the playoffs.

Luukkonen made 23 saves to earn his sixth career shutout, but he’s not the only one who deserves credit for frustrating the Kings.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 24 saves in his return from an injury and Jason Zucker scored the lone goal to help the visiting Buffalo Sabres earn a 1-0 win against the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday.

A practice injury and an early exit from the Nov. 11 loss to Montreal put a halt to one of the strongest stretches of Luukkonen's career. He had gone 3-1, 1.49/.947 in his previous four games, stopping 107 of 113 shots he faced.

The Buffalo Sabres have annouced that forward Sam Lafferty will not return against the Vancouver Canucks due to a lower-body injury. View the original article to see embedded media. Lafferty, 29, has played in 22 games this season,

The Vancouver Canucks find themselves in unfamiliar territory after seeing their eight-game road winning streak come to a halt on Wednesday. The Canucks look to dust themselves off on Friday afternoon when they visit the Buffalo Sabres for the fourth leg of their six-game road trip.