Conventional wisdom often states that a goaltender needs a stint in the minors, but that may not be the case for Buffalo Sabres rookie, Devon Levi.
Hours before the Buffalo Sabres took on and ultimately defeated the Carolina Hurricanes, I was convinced they would roll with someone not named Devon Levi today. I mean, how many teams trust goaltenders playing college hockey just one month prior to start back-to-back-to-back meaningful games? Meaningful games this late for the first time in 12 seasons, might I add?
In the NHL, it’s a rarity. But then again, Devon Levi is a rare commodity. Nonetheless, I’ve been going the “conventional wisdom” route regarding Levi for a while now, and every time I think I’ve made the “wise” projection, I’ve been proven wrong.
Yeah, I should’ve known better than to believe head coach Don Granato and Company would roll with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen or Eric Comrie. But then again, I’m a rather stubborn individual, so this morning, I was thinking Luukkonen would start in the net.
But no, it was Levi once more. And after he helped keep the Sabres alive on Thursday night by coming up big in a shootout, they trusted him against one of the NHL’s most talented teams. And he responded by saving 31 of 34 shots on net, for a 0.912 save percentage.
Buffalo Sabres have made it clear on the number one goaltender
In Thursday’s win, Levi simultaneously had his first bad game, having allowed six goals. And while you can argue all you want that half of those goals weren’t on him, he allowed six regardless, and 20 years from today, most NHL pundits will see those stats and say, “he had an awful game,” without bothering to actually watch the contest. Why would they?
So to start Levi following such a game so early in his NHL career seems to be counterintuitive. Unless, of course, the coaching staff feels he’s the best option when the Blue and Gold are facing a must-win situation. That says a lot of how they feel about Eric Comrie, who I stated back in January probably wouldn’t get another chance.
Of course, when I wrote that, it came because Luukkonen was playing well, but he’s also lost steam. Sure, you can blame bad defense all you want. But in case you haven’t noticed, Levi’s allowed just 13 goals in four starts, good for a 0.903 save percentage. And I’m sure we can all agree that the defensive play hasn’t exactly been top-notch with Levi.
Therefore, the Buffalo Sabres have made it clear. Devon Levi is their top goaltender, and he will be unless someone proves they can top him. Hint: Nobody is going to. As it stands, Levi isn’t going to Rochester; he’s the top goaltender heading into the 2023-24 season, and that’s a pretty amazing feat for a kid drafted in the seventh round just two years ago.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
Source: Observations: Another ‘special’ performance by Rasmus Dahlin keeps Sabres alive by Lance Lysowski, BuffaloNews.com