Buffalo’s goaltending has only been slightly better after it contributed to them missing the playoffs last season
Buffalo’s goaltending has only been slightly better after it contributed to them missing the playoffs last season
The Buffalo Sabres played their 21st game on Saturday, marking the beginning of the second quarter of a season that began with the anticipation that the club would end their 12-year playoff drought. The Sabres have to be considered a disappointment at this point, with a sub-.500 record and questions of whether a club that showed significant offensive growth last season can find their magic touch again.
This week, we will break down the club position by position, starting today with the goaltending.
GM Kevyn Adams was adamant this summer about solving the goaltending issues internally and not trading for or adding an unrestricted free agent. The belief was that Devon Levi was part of the solution after the club struggled to find consistency last season with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, an aging Craig Anderson, and free-agent addition Eric Comrie.
Thus far, the belief that a 21-year-old coming out of college with only seven games of NHL experience was ready for prime time has been a miscalculation. Levi went 1-3 at the start of the season when head coach Don Granato wanted to see if he could handle the workload, spent time on injured reserve, and has allowed four or more goals in five of his eight starts.
Comrie has gone 1-3-0 in five starts, but the injury issues that plagued him last season returned in October, as he missed three weeks with a groin injury.
Luukkonen, who was wildly inconsistent last season, strangely enough, has been the most consistent of the three goaltenders this season, with a winning 5-3-1 record, 2.71 GAA, .914 save percentage, and the club’s only shutout.
Over the last two weeks, Granato has been going with a three-goalie rotation, but that has not resulted in positive results. That rotation has been broken on Monday, as Luukkonen is starting against the Rangers in New York.
If the Sabres are opting to lean heavily on Luukkonen and play the veteran Comrie on occasion in a backup role, it does not make sense for them to keep Levi up in the NHL and play him occasionally.
Overall, Buffalo’s goaltending has been a mixed bag and one of the reasons why the club is under .500 this season.
Grade – C-
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