Buffalo Sabres: Devon Levi needs to be in Rochester despite epic outing

Devon Levi made his big return to the Buffalo Sabres lineup with a near-flawless performance in the net, but let’s not get carried away.

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi was a call-up this week from the Rochester Americans thanks to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen missing time with an illness. And Levi looked like the goaltender we were hoping he would be given his 29 saves off of 30 shots on goal for a 0.967 save percentage in last night’s shocker.

But this shouldn’t mean the Blue and Gold should gift Levi his job in the NHL back following one epic outing, even if it came against the Boston Bruins of all teams. Sure, it foreshadows what Levi will be for the Sabres, but there are still three goaltenders in the rotation at this time, and once again, he is the only one they can send to the Amerks.

Further, is it any coincidence that Levi fared much better now that he played a couple of games for Rochester? When he sat in the press box all but once a week, his performance wasn’t great, but with more playing time, we saw a much better version of the rookie goaltender.

Buffalo Sabres should keep Levi in Rochester, call up on an as-needed basis

Sure, there were other variables that contributed to Levi’s epic performance against a team the Sabres have had a tough time with recently. Buffalo played a great game defensively and they frustrated the Bruins for three straight periods, which is something we haven’t seen often.

Either way, while the 21-year-old remains waivers-exempt, there is still no risk in letting him play for the Amerks. If injuries strike Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen or Eric Comrie, or if the Buffalo Sabres placed the latter on waivers given his poor performances lately, then by all means, bring Levi back to Buffalo.

But while there are two goaltenders who are not waivers-exempt that the Sabres are currently keeping on the roster, keep giving Levi more experience and reps. It’s becoming clear that the more live-game action he gets, the better he will play when the big club needs him.

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)