Levi creates new memory at TD Garden with Sabres in NHL return

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?

“I just cleaned up my game a little bit,” Levi said. “I felt like the chaos in the AHL really forced me to get over top of pucks and start really tracking. And I think that just working on those two fundamentals are big for my game. And I think that helped me coming into here.

“It’s a different type of game, so there’s a few adjustments. First period, it was a little bit -- not shaky -- but timing was a little bit off. And then once the second came, I felt comfortable.”

That chaos, though, doesn’t work for every goalie who is sent down from the NHL. It’s not always easy to channel that into what is needed back at the NHL level.

“It’s definitely a challenge and I think embracing that challenge and adding that kind of tool to your toolbox in your game helps because there’s chaos out here,” Levi said. “It’s not always going to be pretty. …  I think that translation of all the traffic really rounds your game up a little. You’ve got to be sharp if you want to see a puck.”

It’s something that Granato said he saw when looking at Levi, after his return. 

“I did,” he said. “It’s just virtue of where he’s at in his career. Everything’s new, so every new experience is something a talented guy can add to him. And that was a new experience. A couple of games in the American League, shift and change, and when you have talent and you put it through those situations, you can see that.”

Levi is still a work in progress, with a lot to learn and maybe more stints in the AHL to come. Or maybe not. It’s hard to know at this stage of his career, at this point in his life. 

But, already, he’s a long way from that day 10 months ago when he played at TD Garden, when he earned that title. So, does it feel like it’s been a long time?

“Not that long,” Levi sad. “Honestly, it feels like it was yesterday. I have a lot of videos in my phone that I see pop up once in a while, some buddies texting me about some memories and just thinking about it, it was a special day. 

“I keep it close to my heart, so it feels like it was yesterday. It was just an unbelievable time in my life.”

Levi estimated he procured about 30 tickets for people, including some of his friends from Northeastern, some of those friends who helped him win that game and raise that banner. 

“It was so special that day, winning the Beanpot in this rink,” Levi said. “It felt like home.”