How Much Will The Sabres Lean On Levi?

The Buffalo Sabres 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday marked the third straight start for rookie goalie Devon Levi. The 21-year-old bounced back from allowing four goals in the season opener against the New York Rangers last week and a 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday with his best effort against the Lightning.

Levi made 23 saves effort for his first win of the season and with the October schedule well distributed with days off in-between games, it is conceivable the Sabres will go with the youngster throughout the remainder of the club’s four-game homestand, but that would mean backups Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Eric Comrie will not have seen a puck shot at them in anger in more than two weeks.

"When you're thinking just of (Comrie and Luukkonen), you would like to get them in sooner than later, but priorities are priorities. Devon has to this point established himself that we are in a position where we want to get him into a rhythm." Sabres head coach Don Granato said on Tuesday. "That is a priority right now. He has not had as many games in the NHL and to get him in that rhythm would benefit him and us."

Levi was not on the ice at practice on Wednesday, leading to the possibility that either Luukonnen or Comrie would get their first start of the year against Calgary on Thursday.