Devon Levi’s back was to center ice as he stood at his net while the crowd inside KeyBank Center serenaded the rookie in his highly anticipated NHL debut.
“Le-vi, Le-vi, Levi!”
The chant was in response to a brilliant save that showcased the exceptional talent that made Levi one of the best goalies in the history of NCAA men’s hockey. He tracked the puck from right to left on a cross-ice pass by the New York Rangers and slid to make a sprawling save on a one-timer by Kaapo Kakko to maintain the Buffalo Sabres’ lead in the second period Friday night.
“That was a pretty unbelievable save,” marveled defenseman Mattias Samuelsson.
The crowd roared. Levi’s family and friends celebrated. This was the type of moment he visualized long before his trade to the Sabres in July 2021 or his record-setting performance at the IIHF World Junior Championship.
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Showcasing the precise technique that earned him the crease only a few weeks after leaving Northeastern University to turn pro, Levi delivered a stellar debut filled with clutch saves and Jeff Skinner scored in overtime to give the Sabres a 3-2 win.
“It was a dream come true,” Levi beamed. “I’ve dreamt of that moment my whole life.”
The fourth-youngest goalie to debut for the Sabres, Levi made 31 saves, including 19 during a dramatic third period, and neither of the Rangers’ goals beat him clean.
Kakko scored by whacking the puck out of mid-air when it was chipped over Levi, then Adam Fox tied it with 10:15 left in the third period by poking a loose puck over the line. Levi kept the score tied with four saves during a Rangers power play, then he denied Artemi Panarin, who got the puck in the slot with 1:28 remaining.
“It’s unreal,” Levi said of his debut matchup against the New York Rangers. “I wouldn’t want it any other way. Going up against the best is why I’m here, why I’m excited. It’ll be a great challenge tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it.”
Skinner scored his 32nd goal of the season 1:49 into overtime to extend the Sabres’ to their fifth win in 16 games point streak to four games. Now 36-31-7, they drew within five points of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
“The NHL is hockey,” Levi said before he gave the game puck to his dad, Laurent. “It’s just the game of hockey. It’s the game that I’ve been playing my whole life. There’s a lot of good players out there, but it’s been my dream to be challenged by the best and finally here. I have an opportunity right now.”
Strengthened by Samuelsson’s return from injury, the Sabres looked determined to make this a night to remember for Levi. They took an early lead on JJ Peterka’s goal, added insurance with Jordan Greenway beating Jaroslav Halak in the second period and fought to earn two points despite missing Tage Thompson because of an injury for a second consecutive game.
The night began in an unexpected way for Levi. He didn’t wear a helmet for his solo lap at the start of pregame warmups, shooting two pucks into the net before his teammates joined him on the ice. Their aggressive play from the outset gave Levi ample time to adjust to the speed of the Rangers and buzz from a near-capacity crowd.
“This is playoff time for us,” said Sabres coach Don Granato. “We need to scrap and battle and find a way to win. We had to find a way to win tonight with a good save to finish and a good play to finish. … We had to stay on the hunt. Credit to our guys to dial in.”
The Sabres outshot the Rangers 12-2 over the first 20 minutes and took a 1-0 lead at 11:20 when a no-look pass by Dylan Cozens gave Peterka an open net to score his 11th goal of the season. Then, the Rangers’ push began.
Fans rose from their seats when Fox, with the puck on the blade of his stick, stared down Levi. Prepared for the recent Norris Trophy winner to shoot, Levi followed the puck toward the front of the net and used his right pad to deny Vincent Trocheck’s redirect. The crowd roared again.
“He obviously did great,” said Samuelsson. “I think the biggest thing you notice is how smooth he is and I think he reads plays very well. You can’t say that for every goalie. Some goalies are just good at stopping the puck. Some goalies have hockey minds and make it look easy because they know what plays are developing.”
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Devon Levi makes a save on New York Rangers forward Adam Fox during the second period at the KeyBank Center on Friday, March 31, 2023.
A few minutes later, Greenway put Buffalo ahead by two when the 6-foot-6 forward shielded the puck with his left arm and, using one hand to grasp his stick, flicked the puck over Halak’s glove. Late in the second period, following Kakko’s goal that cut the lead to 2-1, Levi made the highlight-reel, sprawling save to stop the Rangers winger’s one-timer that conjured the chants from the crowd.
“It was unbelievable,” Levi said of the chant. “The fans are unreal.”
The Rangers took over in the third period, swarming the offensive zone to earn scoring chances. Levi battled in his crease to stop shots and prevent rebounds, accomplishing both when the Rangers earned consecutive chances early in the third period. They tied it 2-2 when he thought he had the puck covered, only to see Fox knock it over the goal line. He was in position when Panarin had the puck on his stick with a chance to give the Rangers (44-21-11) the lead late in their second game in as many nights.
This debut, unexpected by those who don’t follow the Sabres closely, is part of Levi’s goal to gain a “year’s worth of development” over the final weeks of the season. His first start was against a playoff-bound team that was 9-2-1 in its previous 12 games. He’ll dissect the goals against and his close call in the first period when Chytil missed a wide-open net. Each moment will be used to prepare him for what’s to come.
“I learned a lot from this game. I thought I played well. I definitely know what I can improve on. I feel like I have more and I feel like I’ve been growing every day. I think this is the start to me improving every single day and helping the guys hopefully on a playoff run. That’s the goal. I’m just going to be working as hard as I can to be ready for the call and if I get the call I’m going to do everything I can to give these guys the best chance to win.
Here are other observations from the game:
The Sabres hadn’t seen many promising moments from Greenway since his arrival in a deadline-day trade. He had one goal in eight games, then missed four with an upper-body injury. His drive to the net in the second period Friday should alleviate some concerns.
Greenway outmuscled Ben Harpur on his way to the net and somehow got enough on the shot to score his fourth goal of the season. Greenway was parked in front of the net on many of his shifts and helped extend possession on the forecheck but also had some difficult moments, which Granato attributed to missing time with an injury.
Peterka, Cozens and Jack Quinn were part of a starting line that had an average age of just over 22 years old, then controlled play during most of their shifts in the first period. The Sabres had seven shot attempts and four scoring chances with the trio on the ice at 5-on-5 in the first 20 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick. Peterka’s goal gives the rookie winger 10 points in his last 10 games, while Cozens’ no-look pass gave him five points in his last five.
Peterka and Quinn had five shots on goal apiece, and Cozens almost set up Alex Tuch for the winner in overtime before Skinner scored.
This was another game that showed Samuelsson’s importance to the Sabres. He finished with 22:13 of ice time, blocked two shots and helped them kill the penalty in the third period. Time out of the lineup made it a difficult night for Samuelsson. He said he hit a wall in the third period because there’s no way to prepare to return for a game late in the regular season.
Samuelsson expressed frustration for the separate injuries that he’s gone through this season, the latest of which caused him to miss 10 of the previous 12 games, but he was thrilled to be back with his teammates on and off the ice.
“I’m always injured, I feel like,” he lamented. “Some of it is bad luck. Some of it is the style of game I play. I know I’m going to be banged up throughout the year and I’m obviously fine with that, but you know me pretty well – I miss out on the fun so much when I’m injured. I’m so bored.
“And I just feel like the last two days being back with the team, being in on the jokes and the locker room after, everyone was fired up when Dev came back in. Those little things, you miss it so much and you don’t realize it. I think when you play 50 games in a row in the middle of the season you take some of it for granted. On the bench, I was hooting and hollering the whole time. I was just happy to be back.”
Still bothered by the injury sustained a week earlier against New Jersey, Thompson didn’t skate Friday morning and hasn’t been on the ice with the team since the win over the New York Islanders. He has 44 goals and is still one point away from becoming the first Sabre with 90 in a season since Daniel Briere totaled 95 in 2006-07.
Granato said there’s a “slight” chance Thompson will be available to play Saturday in Philadelphia. Casey Mittelstadt centered the top line next to Tuch and Skinner with Thompson out.
The team’s other scratches were Riley Stillman, Kale Clague, Vinnie Hinostroza, Craig Anderson and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
The Sabres travel to Philadelphia to play the Flyers on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Devon Levi made his debut with the Sabres on Friday.
