‘We all believe Dev gives us that chance’ | Amerks aiming high with Levi in net

The Rochester Americans believe they’ll go as far as Devon Levi can take them.

The 23-year-old netminder has opened the Calder Cup Playoffs with a .968 save percentage between two home-ice wins over the Syracuse Crunch. Now, hitting the road Thursday, Levi and the Amerks have a chance to close out the best-of-five North Division Semifinals against their intrastate rivals.

The puck drops at 7 p.m. at Upstate Medical University Arena, and the game is available to stream on AHLTV.

• Amerks vs. Crunch | Schedule, how to watch, and updated results

When Levi’s at his best, as he was in Sunday’s 35-save, Game 2 shutout, his AHL teammates can’t help but think championship thoughts. His regular season, with 25 wins and a .919 save percentage, also fuels that belief.

“He’s the biggest piece when it comes to how far we go in the playoffs,” captain Mason Jobst said after Wednesday’s practice. “You see a lot of teams in the NHL, too – you can go a long ways if your goalie’s hot, and I think we all believe Dev gives us that chance.”

Added first-year Rochester head coach Michael Leone: “If you want to go far in playoffs and you want to win rounds, goalies are gonna have to make saves that usually are in the back of the net. And he’s done a great job of that. … He feels confident and gives us a lot of confidence as a team.”

That confidence seems to come naturally for Levi, whose demeanor rarely changes even after tough losses with the Buffalo Sabres; he went 2-7 with an .872 save percentage for the big club this season. He continues to display all the makings – physically and mentally – of a big-game goalie and could be an NHL regular as soon as this fall.

For now, though, his focus is on Syracuse, an opponent he and the Amerks are quite familiar with. The teams matched up 12 times this regular season – Rochester won seven – and in last spring’s North Division Semifinals. There, the Crunch won the series in five games despite Levi’s .923 save percentage and 2.57 goals-against average.

By now, Levi has the book on the Crunch, the AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning. They're physical, they battle for net-front real estate and score primarily off tips, rebounds and screens.

“Every game as a goalie that you have under your belt is another experience,” Levi said. “… I’m just trying to be a sponge – this year, last year, the playoffs – trying to understand what makes me tick, what gives other teams success.

“Seeing these guys play a lot, I also have a good feel of a Syracuse game. I like being in these series, because you get one opponent. You get to pre-scout them and know what they want to do. It’s really a game of cat and mouse. You could know what they want to do, and they could expose you because of it. Or you could be successful because of it.”

Last year’s series was a mixed bag for Levi and the team. He made 60 saves – yes, 60 – in a Game 3 loss, then stopped 41 shots two days later as the Amerks forced Game 5. In that decisive contest, Levi stopped just 15 of 19 shots and Rochester’s season ended.

Levi’s continued development, especially in more subtle areas of his game, has Rochester optimistic about better results this time through the intensity of the playoffs, where few errors go unpunished.

“It’s been a work in progress,” said Leone. “Little things in the game that no one sees, like extended D-zone shifts, he’s able to get whistles. How important that is. He’s able to put pucks in the corners where those second and third opportunities aren’t in the slot.”

“A lot of times, the game gets chaotic and he’s steady,” added defenseman Zachary Metsa, who referenced Levi’s meditation during breaks in the action. “And that’s exactly what you want out of a starting goaltender.”

Levi also attributes his success to an improved defensive system, praising Rochester’s defensemen for strong box-outs and stick lifts, both of which help mitigate the Crunch’s net-front offensive approach.

Postseason hockey is especially challenging for a competitor like Levi. As he explained it, a skater is constantly involved and can channel his emotions into a hit, a shot block, etc., whereas a goalie is alone and, for stretches of a game, inactive.

“You’ve got to sit with your thoughts,” Levi said. “You can’t really do anything about them. You can’t go and release that energy that’s being pent up inside. You’ve got to be able to navigate it and just be okay with it, and still be able to focus and play.”

Thursday, however, Syracuse figures to keep Levi busy as it faces elimination.

“I know that they’re gonna be coming out strong,” he said. “It’s a challenge – I’m really excited for it. You want the other team’s best. Syracuse is a really good team, they’re 100 percent gonna be desperate and we’re gonna get their best hockey. So. it’s a question of how are we gonna respond to that.”