Luukkonen expected to get regular work after rookie goalie started the first four games
Luukkonen expected to get regular work after rookie goalie started the first four games
The Buffalo Sabres gave 21-year-old rookie goaltender Devon Levi a sizable workload in the pre-season and four starts to open the regular season, but after missing two weeks with a lower-body injury and returning to action on Saturday, head coach Don Granato indicated that Levi and 24-year-old Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will be sharing duties for the foreseeable future.
"I would say it's probably it'd be more of a rotation. The start of the year, I thought it was important to give (Devon) some grind. This is his first go in the NHL.” Granato said, “You're gonna go for 82 games and I wanted him to see to feel some grind with preparation, a quick turnaround, and battle. I think he gained a lot of experience from that. That's going to help him for the rest of his career. (It's the) first time going through that. Now there's no need for that type of grind."
Levi performed well in his four-game stint, but Buffalo lost three of his four starts. With Eric Comrie (out week-to-week with a lower-body injury) and Luukkonen, the Sabres are a game over .500, but the big Finn continues to show similar inconsistency to how he displayed last season.
"I think UPL has been good,” Granato said. “Devon was good the other night. There's no reason that we should go to either one of them for a bulk (of starts) right now."
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