Devon Levi, the young goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres, had a great game on Thursday night to lead his Buffalo Sabres to a 6-1 win. What made the win even more special was that it was his first NHL start in his hometown of Montreal. This was a great opportunity for Levi, who was defending the visiting crease in front of family and friends in the city where he learned to play hockey. But, yesterday, he was the bad guy (sorta).
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Levi has had a tough season. He’s taken losses in his last two starts against the Ottawa Senators and the Boston Bruins. In those two losses, he gave up eight goals on 55 shots. Levi’s previous game against the Canadiens earlier in the season ended in a close 3-2 shootout loss when he made 29 saves.
Levi’s Game Last Night Was a Reminder of Last Season’s Success
However, in his first game at the Bell Centre, Levi showed what Sabres fans had come to expect after last season when he rode an impressive winning streak to almost carry his Sabres into the postseason.
On Thursday night, he made 32 saves. He was especially solid in the first period, turning away all 15 shots to set the tone for the Sabres’ victory. On one key save, he stopped Josh Anderson point-blank to prevent the Canadiens from mounting a comeback.
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With the win, Levi’s record jumped to 7-6-2 with a 3.36 goals-against average (GAA), and an .888 save percentage. While these numbers are still not great, last night helped the cause. The confidence Levi will likely take from the win in Montreal could help him jump-start his game as well as help his team move into the win column.
A Solid Win for Levi and the Sabres
Levi’s hometown start was both a solid win for him and his team. Although it’s been a tough season to this point for Levi, his success contributed substantially to the Sabres victory. Can he carry it forward?
Given the recent demotion of Eric Comrie to the American Hockey League (AHL), it looks as if the Sabres have chosen their path forward. Buffalo will rely on Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to carry the team in the crease. For the Sabres to get back into the postseason hunt, those two youngsters will need to reprise Levi’s high-level play and do it game after game.
The Sabres are behind last season’s record. Fans will remember that the team had to go on a bit of a run to come close to the playoffs. They barely missed the 2023 postseason. Now the question arises, can Levi and Luukkonen help them make it this season? It’s going to be tough, but with more games like Thursday night, it is possible.
