Sabres prospect Devon Levi displaying dominance in Rochester after slump

ROCHESTER – Buffalo Sabres prospect Devon Levi’s ability to embrace any adversity he experiences has enhanced his development with the Americans.

Levi, 23, has enjoyed a stellar run here over parts of two seasons, winning 66 percent of his games while emerging as one of the AHL’s elite goalies.

Still, like any second-year pro, he has felt some bumps. Last month, he lost back-to-back games in regulation for the first time.

In the second outing Feb. 16, he endured a miserable afternoon, stopping just seven of the 11 shots he faced before coach Mike Leone pulled him 35 minutes into a 5-2 loss to the Laval Rocket.

That it took more than a year and 49 appearances for Levi to drop two straight starts and that he responded by posting back-to-back shutouts speaks volumes about his dynamic play and commitment to his craft.

Levi, of course, wanted to keep battling against the Rocket.

“I never want to be taken out of a game,” he said after making 28 saves in Wednesday’s 5-2 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Blue Cross Arena. “I like going to war with the guys. And, yeah, when something like that happens, it’s how you respond, it’s how you solve the problem. That’s the most important thing.”

Levi quickly solved the problem Feb. 19, making 26 saves in a 4-0 win over the Cleveland Monsters. He followed up last Saturday by stopping 30 shots and all five shootout attempts in 1-0 triumph against the Toronto Marlies.

“It was a huge moment in his development to respond and try to have a really good practice and just get better,” Leone told the Times Herald. “… Events happen all the time. It’s how you respond.

“I think he did a great job trying to get better at practice, working on the things he needed to work on. He was outstanding.”

Levi’s shutout streak lasted 159 minutes before Rutger McGroarty scored in the second period Wednesday.

He said he digested his poor performance against Laval, moved past it and used “it as a little bit of fuel in the next few.”

“The highs and lows are all part of hockey, and you can’t have the highs without the lows,” Levi said. “It’s important to accept them and use them.”

Entering Friday’s road game against the Utica Comets, he had compiled a 3-0-0 record with a 0.65 goals-against average and a .977 save percentage in three starts since getting yanked.

“I thought he took a step, and I thought he got better because of it,” Leone said.

The Amerks, meanwhile, ranked first in the AHL entering Friday’s schedule, having won 34 games and earned 74 points.

Levi takes a cerebral approach, trying to stay in the moment and focus on the process instead of the result. He journals following games to get his emotions on paper and figure out the moral of the story rather than simply wondering what he could do better.

“I felt like my process has been good,” he said. “Just learning over the course of (the 36) games I’ve played this year, getting a little bit more experience, and putting that (together), looking at my journal, seeing what works, what doesn’t work.

“Kind of trying to formulate a plan that makes me me. It’s still in the works. I wouldn’t say I’m there yet.”

His numbers, however, say he has become a dominant AHL netminder. Entering Friday, he had registered a 19-6-2 record with a 2.16 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage in 27 games this season.

His five shutouts were tied for the league lead. Despite spending a chunk of the season in Buffalo, his win total ranked second. His goals-against average ranked third.

Since assigning him to the minors in November, the Sabres have summoned him twice to play games. Perhaps another recall is on the horizon.

The Sabres, who host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday at KeyBank Center, had Friday off.

They play four games next week, including Monday in Montreal and Tuesday at home against the San Jose Sharks.

Overall, they have 16 games in March, so don’t expect them to be practicing much.

“Getting the guys rest in between games is going to be important,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said following Wednesday’s optional practice. “We had our good week of practice (last week), where (we had) a couple hard days and a lift day, and we had one more hard day.

“Those hard days now just have to be games. And the in-between days is basically rest and recover, because you’re gonna play back-to-back, and we’ve got to take all the excuses away.”