Buffalo Sabres: Devon Levi faced much-needed adversity last night

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi had a pretty bad game in the Blue and Gold’s loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins last night. But that’s a good thing.

Well, well, well, did we finally see Devon Levi, one of the best goaltenders in NCAA history and a hero who helped keep the Buffalo Sabres afloat for a portion of last season’s playoff push struggle? Hey, when you allow seven goals, I don’t care how bad your defense played – a few of those were on you, man.

Fortunately, it was only the preseason, and Levi has an opportunity to grow from a few of those mishaps. That’s why I love it when players see adversity: It’s a blessing, not a curse, if you approach it with the right mentality. And knowing Devon Levi, he’ll see this little bit of adversity as a blessing and as an opportunity.

Adversity will spark opportunity for Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi

This is a kid who knows how to reset his mind and make proper adjustments on the fly. And if you need proof, let’s go back to Levi’s days at Northeastern when he allowed eight goals against the Harvard Crimson on January 1st of this year. Here are the number of goals Levi allowed in his next five contests:

• One goal vs. UConn
• Three goals at UConn
• One goal at Merrimack
• Zero goals vs. Merrimack
• One goal vs. Boston College

No, the NHL isn’t the NCAA, and in fact, it’s far from college hockey, I get it. But the point is, last night’s game isn’t the first time Levi has faced adversity like this. He rose from it while in college, and he’ll find a way to rise from it in the pros.

This is an article I knew that I would eventually write, as all goaltenders, even the best in the business, have off-nights. And trust me, it’s not the last time Levi will toil through a terrible outing this year. But I will tell you this: We will see way more good games than bad games, just as he’s shown us more good than bad so far in his short pro career.

(Statistics provided by NUHuskies.com)