FEATURE: Levi's Catch Of The Day

EDMONTON, AB – “LEVI! LEVI! LEVI!”

When the bowl inside Rogers Place should’ve been at its quietest on Saturday as fans waited for officials to confirm whether or not Devon Levi’s miraculous save during the second period crossed the goal line, the chants began to take over in appreciation for their club’s newest netminder.

Because an effort like that deserves an ovation, regardless of whether it went in or not, and the Oil Country faithful were happy to oblige. So was Levi post-game, praising his new home and his supporters, after his huge intervention and 19 saves against the Kraken helped them push on and earn a 3-1 victory.

For Levi, he earned more than just one victory against Seattle. All that matters to him is the ‘W’ in the standings for Edmonton, with the netminder celebrating back-to-back wins for the first time in Blue & Orange thanks to his heroics in his home Oilers debut on Saturday.

“It's amazing,” Levi said of the fans chanting his name. “I'm so happy to be here. One of the best places to play in sports. The legacy and the history here, it's just being a part of it.  Wearing the jersey is super special to me, so I’m super grateful to be here.”

Levi showed off his incredible athleticism and instincts by being one play ahead of the Kraken when the puck was turned over at the goal line and thrown across the crease to former Oilers forward Jordan Eberle, lunging across and getting his glove to it to keep it from crossing the goal line with one of the 24-year-old’s best saves of his NHL career.

“I thought I had made the save, but I knew that there's a chance because the pocket's deep,” Levi said of the ensuing review. “So if it went to the back of the pocket, there's a chance that maybe it went in.  But thankfully, it didn't.

"After some of the bounces last game, I was hoping we'd get one, and it happened to not go in. I can't tell you how I did it. It was kind of instinctive."

Levi bounced back against the Kraken after allowing seven goals on 22 shots in Thursday’s wild 9-7 win over the Canucks, with the netminder’s journey to arrive in Edmonton ready to make the most of his opportunity and establish himself as an NHL regular between the pipes was fraught with plenty of challenges similar to the one he faced in Vancouver.

Levi spent the previous two seasons with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, where there were a number of learning opportunities for the Montreal, QC product that came in handy both on Thursday and Saturday in helping him keep his eyes on the prized ‘W’ each night.

“It feels good, obviously,” Levi said. “But I personally walk away from that Vancouver game just with the win. That's all I took from that game. Turn the page and get to work.  The next day, nothing changes. So after today, nothing changes, either.”

For him, Thursday in Vancouver barely holds a candle to some of his other experiences – ones that’ve prepared him on how to steel his resolve and just focus on the next save.

“It's not easy, but I've definitely been through harder,” Levi said of Thursday’s crazy win. “The past few years, there's definitely been some adversity that's really taught me. It's one day, one game.  The ups and downs, they come and go. Being able to stay in the middle of them is huge, and I think it paid dividends coming into today. It helps when you got a hell of a team that played a great game.”

Equally so, his teammates are thankful to have a guy like him on their side – someone they expect to only improve as he builds on his 41 career NHL appearances and garners more experience on what it takes to stay in the NHL.

“He played unbelievably,” said Leon Draisaitl, who scored the game-winner against Seattle. “He stuck with it. He was on top of it all night. Some big saves when we needed them, and we got some momentum from it. I think as a group, we just stuck with it and found one late one. All you can ask for is two big points.”

Seeing that confidence firsthand and how he carries himself was one reason Head Coach Mike Babcock gave the young goalie the nod for his home debut on Saturday, despite having the choice to go back with Tristan Jarry after Edmonton’s tough night in Vancouver.

The bench boss has seen some positive things not only from Levi, but from the entire goalie fraternity in Edmonton as well, including Frederik Andersen helping guide him along as a supportive voice who lifted the Stanley Cup last season with Carolina.

“He seems like a confident kid,” Babcock said. “Your first game with a new organization, sometimes things don't go as well. You get in your own way.”

“I thought Freddie Anderson did a heck of a job with him the other day. He was talking to him about tightness, and Freddie's been through it and lived it. Freddie's 37 years old and won a Stanley Cup. To have a guy like that in your organization that can share his experience with young guys, I think it helps him.”