Buffalo Sabres: Devon Levi has dominated since his return to the NHL

Despite being unable to help the Buffalo Sabres win in the shootout last night, there is no denying Devon Levi’s last two performances have been remarkable.

While it would be great to see Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi keep getting playing time in Rochester once Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen returns (assuming they don’t waive Eric Comrie), it’s also worth acknowledging just how effective Devon Levi has been. Over his past two contests, Levi has finished with 60 saves on 63 shots, good for a 0.952 save percentage amidst 125 minutes of ice time.

He’s also looked more comfortable in the net than he has over the first nine times we saw him in there. Levi has been more aggressive, constantly searching for and diving over pucks, while pulling off a montage full of highlight-reel saves. For a prime example, check out the video below:

And thanks to his previous two games, Levi is now boasting a 0.400 quality starts percentage (up from a meager 0.250), a 3.27 GAA (down from 3.73), and an 0.892 save percentage (up from roughly 0.877). Therefore, it more than looks as though the 21-year-old is playing the way we thought he could before the season began.

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi has been lights out in previous two games

Looking at where Levi’s numbers are now compared to where they were when the Sabres sent him to Rochester, they are nearly a night and day difference in the span of just two contests. If Levi keeps playing this way, be it in Rochester or with the Sabres – Rochester is the preferred destination if Buffalo insists on still using Comrie – then he’s setting the stage for a breakout season in 2024-25.

We will continue to monitor Levi’s progress as the season wears on, and something tells us we have quite a few elite performances to discuss and review. Now the question is: Can Luukkonen and Comrie match what Levi has been doing over the previous two contests?

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)