The Buffalo Sabres this morning loaned rookie goalie Devon Levi to the Rochester Americans.
Levi, 22, is expected to start his first game since Jan. 9 this afternoon when the Amerks host the Springfield Thunderbirds at Blue Cross Arena.
The Sabres also recalled goalie Eric Comrie from the Amerks to back up Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who’s expected to make his fifth straight start this afternoon.
Luukkonen’s emergence – he has back-to-back shutouts entering today’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at KeyBank Center – has recently kept Levi in a backup role. Levi, of course, needs game action, so sending him to the AHL for the second time this season, perhaps just for one game, makes sense.
Update: Levi made 14 saves in Rochester’s 7-3 win.
Levi played two games for the Amerks in early December, compiling a 1-1-0 record with a 2.94 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage.
He was expected to stay in Rochester longer, but Luukkonen got sick. When he returned from the minors, he found a groove, forcing the Sabres to keep him.
For a few weeks, Levi and Luukkonen mostly split time before the Finn’s recent hot streak.
Levi has registered an 8-7-2 mark with a 3.32 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage in 19 games with the Sabres this season.
The fact is that the Sabers have 3 fairly average goalies and no true standout but this platooning 2 up and down is insane. Pick Comrie or Levi and let one be the backup. The biggest problems are on Defense with the season 1/2 over and little chance of making the playoffs, I would let Levi just be the back-up Comrie has been in the league a few years longer playing in 50 games and he just doesn’t have NHL numbers