21-year-old makes 40 saves, four stops in a shootout win in Belleville
The Buffalo Sabres decided earlier this week that goaltender Devon Levi would benefit from more consistent work in the AHL than playing infrequently in a three-goalie rotation in the NHL. On Friday, the 21-year-old made his first American Hockey League start in Belleville, ON and it was an impressive debut for the young netminder.
Levi faced 42 shots and made 40 saves in regulation and overtime for the Amerks, and then stopped all four Senator attempts in the shootout in a 3-2 Rochester victory.
"We're super excited about Devin and believe in him and just feel like this is an opportunity for him to get in a rhythm, get sharpened up, even through some more structured practice reps and that's something that we have the luxury, and the ability to do right now and I think it's the right decision at this time," GM Kevyn Adams said earlier this week.
The Sabres did not put any timeframe on how long Levi’s stay in Rochester will be, but Adams did indicate that the club believes that his getting a sizable workload to gain some pro experience was important and that would be a challenge with the Sabres with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Eric Comrie also needing to play.
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