BOSTON – When Devon Levi was on the ice Thursday for the Buffalo Sabres, he snuck a peek upwards, gazing toward the ceiling of TD Garden. There was the banner that he had helped raise, back on Feb. 13.
Then, he was at Northeastern University, the goalie for a team that won the 70th edition of the Beanpot Tournament, held every February by four Boston schools -- Northeastern, Harvard, Boston College and Boston University.
He was named MVP of the tournament.
It was different on Thursday when the 21-year-old stepped on that same ice against the Boston Bruins. He was no longer in the red and black of Northeastern, instead in the royal blue and white of the Sabres. He was back in the NHL after a short stint with Rochester of the American Hockey League. He was earning the win, 3-1, against the top team in the Atlantic Division.
“For a lot of different reasons, it was special,” Levi said.
Levi had been sent to the AHL on Nov. 28, a first for the 21-year-old. He was 3-4-1 with a 3.73 goals-against average and an .876 save percentage and had been outperformed by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. But the demotion didn’t last long. With Luukkonen sidelined because of illness and not traveling to Boston, the Sabres called Levi back up and handed him the start.
He didn’t disappoint.
Levi allowed a single goal, to Brad Marchand at 17:35 of the second period, making 29 saves to earn his fourth win of the season. He eased into the game, with the Bruins held to five shots on goal in the first before turning it on as the game continued with 11 in the second and 14 in the third.
“Devon was very good,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “I’ll throw him into the category of very competitive. Talent comes out much better when you do that.”
Levi played two games for Rochester, making 70 saves on 76 shots and getting a win and a loss. But for Levi, it seemed like the cameo in the AHL made a big impression.
“I think I learned very valuable lessons when I was in Rochester,” Levi said. “Even though it was short, I still took a lot out of it. I think it was really good for me and I’ll remember that experience for a long time. I’m honestly grateful that I got to meet the guys there, play two games with them and develop with them for a weekend and then obviously grateful to be back for this game.”
What were those lessons? What did he take away?