Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi only played in seven NHL games last season, but he put up quite a few mind-boggling numbers in that frame.
While Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi will without a doubt suffer through some growing pains this season as he continues to acclimate to the NHL, he also gives fans a lot of hope. Last season, Levi finished with a 0.905 save percentage, a 2.94 GAA, and a 5-2-0 record, pretty good stats for a kid who played in college just a few weeks before his NHL debut.
But you may not have realized just how good Levi was in those seven games. Below, you will find three mind-numbing statistics that actually show how effective Levi was in the net, and that it foreshadows some of what you can expect in 2023-24.
Buffalo Sabres goaltender’s most mind-boggling stats in 2023
1 – Team-Best GSAx
JP Gambatese of The Hockey Writers shared a statistic in a recent piece that jumped out at me, and it was Levi’s team-leading 3.1 goals saved above expected (GSAx). To put things into perspective, Craig Anderson had the second-best number of the team, which sat at 0.4, so Levi took a commanding lead in the category.
Okay, but Anderson played in 26 games while Levi played in seven, isn’t that a huge difference? It is, but let’s look at someone closer to Levi’s seven-game stint. Eric Comrie played in just 19 games, but his GSAx sat at an ugly (-6.9), tied for 15th-worst in the league, per Money Puck.
Levi, on the other hand, ranked 32nd in the category, and 14th on a per 60 basis. Not bad at all for the presumed 1A or even outright starting goaltender this season.
2 – 0.714 QS%
If you thought Levi’s GSA% was good, his 0.714 quality starts percentage (QS%) was one of the league’s best among goaltenders who started or played in seven games. In fact, he finished in fifth place in the category, per Hockey-Reference.
And remember, Levi did this with no previous professional hockey experience, a mere two weeks between signing his entry-level contract and his debut, and in the middle of a playoff race. Oh, and the teams he faced were no jokes, as the Buffalo Sabres played contenders like the New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, and New York Rangers in that span.
3 – GAA Better Than Expected
Levi finished the season with an expected GAA (xGAA) of 3.37, but as you know, he finished with a 2.94 GAA. This sat at 0.44 per Money Puck, tying him for 13th in the NHL with Ilya Samsonov among goaltenders who started seven games.
So now the question bodes, how well will Levi play in 2023-24 now that he has a taste of NHL hockey and, as you can see, performed remarkably well in a few categories? Look for Levi’s ascent to continue, but as I said, he will experience some growing pains. But that hasn’t stopped me from making the bold prediction that he will edge out Connor Bedard and win the Calder.
Source: Sabres Expectations for Devon Levi as a First-Year Starter by JP Gambatese, The Hockey Writers