Finland’s men will open Olympic play in Milan next week without Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The Buffalo Sabres goaltender is out with a lower-body injury, and Boston Bruins netminder Joonas Korpisalo has been added as his replacement.
The Injury and the Switch
Luukkonen was injured Jan. 27 in Toronto and left the Sabres’ 7–4 win 12:14 into the first period. Lindy Ruff said two days later the goalie was “progressing,” but Luukkonen still had not returned to the ice with the team as the week turned. On Feb. 3, Finland confirmed the decision: Luukkonen will miss the Olympic tournament, and Korpisalo will take his roster spot.
Finnish outlets framed it as a late gut punch for a roster built around stability in net. Yle noted Luukkonen’s injury occurred on a stretch save, with the goalie exiting around the 13-minute mark. MTV Uutiset reported the replacement directly from the Finnish federation announcement and listed Finland’s group opponents, including Sweden and host Italy.
The timing is tight. Finland’s federation said NHL players arrive in Milan on Sunday, Feb. 8, with Finland opening Wednesday, Feb. 11, against Slovakia. Luukkonen’s window closed fast, and Korpisalo now has days, not weeks, to step into the same travel plan, meetings, and goalie rotation.
Finland’s Goalie Picture Tightens
This was not a starter swap. Luukkonen was slotted to be part of a three-man group, and the replacement keeps the shape of the goalie rotation intact: Juuse Saros, Kevin Lankinen, with Korpisalo as a backup. Reuters and the Finnish federation both pointed to Saros and Lankinen as the established tandem, with Korpisalo filling the final seat.
Related: How Team Finland Can Win the 2026 Winter Olympics
For Finland, the bigger story is risk management. The Olympics are short, and one crease issue can end a medal run in 40 minutes. Finland won gold at Beijing 2022 without NHL participation, and this tournament marks the NHL’s first Olympic involvement since 2014. The roster, suddenly, has one less practiced option for camp reps and matchup planning.
Finland’s general manager Jere Lehtinen kept the message simple in the federation release: it is unfortunate to lose a player late, he wished Luukkonen a quick recovery, and he welcomed Korpisalo into the group. It reads like standard federation language because it is, but the subtext is obvious. This is a staff making a clean substitution and moving on.
What the Change Means for Korpisalo
Korpisalo, age 31, goes from NHL workload management to Olympic urgency in one phone call. He has played 21 games this season for Boston, with a 10–8–1 record and a .895 save percentage (SV%).
Korpisalo is not arriving as a mystery option. He has proven he can hold up under Olympic-style chaos: short series, unfamiliar opponents, and games that swing on one scramble. In the 2020 Playoffs, he set the NHL record with 85 saves in a five-overtime game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a night that still stands as a stress test for stamina and composure.
That run also matters on paper. Korpisalo’s highest pressure SV% was in the 2019–20 playoffs at .941, tied for the best single-postseason save percentage in the NHL’s records database. That is a small sample, over five years ago, but it shows a ceiling Finland can trust for a spot start or a relief appearance.
For Milan, he slots in cleanly behind Saros and Lankinen, and Finland keeps three NHL goalies in the room after Luukkonen’s injury removed a younger piece from the plan.
Related: Guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey Tournament
It is still a career moment. The federation noted this is Korpisalo’s first Olympics, and NHL.com called it his first international tournament since the 2017 IIHF World Championship. The resume is not empty, but it has a gap, and this is the highest-profile return spot available to a Finnish goalie. It also changes the month in Boston. The Bruins lose a goaltender to travel and tournament prep.
The men’s tournament starts Feb. 11, Finland arrives Feb. 8, and Korpisalo is now on that flight.
