Sabres defeat Bruins 4-1 in preseason home opener

Following the team’s morning skate Tuesday, Sabres coach Don Granato shared what could be the secret to goaltender Devon Levi’s success thus far in his hockey career: a solid routine.

Levi has been recognized for one of his most notable in-game routines as the 21-year-old takes time to meditate during T.V. timeouts to clear his mind.

“Every person has their own routine and their own way of doing things. Devon’s way has got him to the NHL at a very young age,” Granato said.

After posting a 5-2 record and .905 save percentage in seven starts during the 2022-23 campaign, Levi stole the show during Buffalo’s preseason home opener, stopping all 19 shots faced in his two periods of play to lead the Sabres to a 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins at KeyBank Center on Tuesday.

“Well, we all know he’s excited to play and brings a lot of enthusiasm. His preparation is always stellar,” Granato said after the win. “You don’t know what these games are going to be like, you’re not in a rhythm. It’s typically a lot more chaotic and it was in spurts only, which meant he had to concentrate and keep his focus during some long stretches of not a lot of action. When there was action around him, he was sharp.”

Levi saw the exhibition as a chance to play in a game situation as opposed to the goalie drills that he worked on all summer. His focus was on seeing and reacting to the plays as they happened instead of overthinking them.

“That was probably the biggest adjustment but the more you see pucks, the more you see plays, the easier it gets,” Levi said.

Jeff Skinner, Riley Stillman, Brandon Biro, and Filip Cederqvist all tallied goals in the win while Casey Mittelstadt added two assists as 10 different Sabres found their way on the scoresheet.

“I thought our guys worked hard. They worked hard as a group. They worked hard to keep pucks to the outside,” Granato said. “So yeah, I was happy for them because of the effort and focus they put in on it.”

Devin Cooley also enjoyed a strong evening of his own, posting 19 saves and allowing just one goal by the Bruins’ Oskar Steen after taking over goaltending duties in the third period.

How it happened

PERIOD 1

Just over three minutes in, Skinner picked the top left corner of the net to put the Sabres up 1-0 after a backhand, no-look pass from Benson on the power play.

While Boston held a 13-12 edge in shots, Levi was stellar in the crease, stopping all 13 shots he faced.

PERIOD 2

Stillman got the Sabres off to a quick start 43 seconds in as he took a shot from the point through traffic to give Buffalo a two-goal lead.

The Sabres held the Bruins without a shot for the first nine minutes of the period and just six shots total during the second.

Levi stood tall in net, stopping all six shots, including several saves in a span of just 19 seconds to finish his night with a perfect save percentage.

PERIOD 3

Mittelstadt found Biro in front of the net to put the Sabres up 3-0 midway through the period.

Boston found the back of the net with just over two minutes remaining as Steen spoiled the shutout.

Cederqvist capped off the night with an empty-net goal with three seconds remaining, assisted by Tyson Kozak and Brett Murray.

What we learned

1. With an assist in Sunday's win over Washington and a goal and an assist Tuesday, Biro currently leads all Sabres skaters in preseason points with three (1+2).

After the game, Granato spoke highly of the winger who recorded 51 points (16+35) in 49 contests last season for the Rochester Americans.

"Brandon’s a guy that I’ve watched quite a bit," Granato said. "We had talked a lot last year about him being called up, and unfortunately injuries took him out of it a few times. But he’s a guy that I’ve become very familiar with over the last couple of seasons. There’s nothing that he’s doing here that surprises me if that answers your question."

2. Benson stood out once again for his work ethic and ability to force opponents into mistakes to create plays. The forward now has two points (1+1) in two consecutive preseason games and continues to impress Granato.

"Just about everything he did leaves a real good impression," Granato said. "... Much like I’ve been saying for the last four or five days, you put him with top players and he can process the game as well as anybody and he showed that again tonight. He has a knack and a sense to read plays, make plays, steal and strip pucks from players that you shouldn’t in this league. In two games, he’s been very impressive equally both nights.”

The 18-year-old has had the opportunity to play alongside several veterans throughout training camp and has felt supported by everyone in the organization.

"It's unbelivable. They welcomed me with open arms and not even just the players, (but also) the management, the coaching staff," Benson said. "So, I'm super honored to be a Buffalo Sabre, and it's been a blast so far."

3. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Sabres held an 8-2 advantage in shots and 6-3 edge in scoring chances when Filip Cederqvist, Mason Jobst, and Olivier Nadeau were on the ice together at 5-on-5.

Up Next

The Sabres are back at it Wednesday as they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs at Joe Thornton Community Centre in St. Thomas, Ontario. The Kraft Hockeyville contest will kick off at 6:30 p.m. on MSG with the Sportsnet national feed. Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray will have the radio call on WGR 550.