We wanted meaningful Sabres hockey in March, now we have meaningful Sabres hockey in April
By the Numbers 📊
Record: 37-31-7 (81 points) | Division: 5th | League: 20th
5v5 Expected Goals-For Percentage (xGF%): 48.4% (22nd in the NHL)
5v5 Goals-For Percentage (GF%): 48.4% (21st in the NHL)
Quick Hits
Devon Levi gets his own net in Monday’s practice while Eric Comrie/Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen share the other. Levi is projected to start vs. the Panthers
Tage Thompson returns to practice on Monday, could play vs. the Panthers
Craig Anderson remains out of practice with an upper body injury
Devon Levi: The Real Deal
Pressure is something that Devon Levi does not feel. All eyes were on him for a big Friday night matchup against the hot New York Rangers. Fans were even looking for tickets on the side where the away team shoots twice. Everyone wanted to see the 21-year-old goalie in his first NHL game.
He was coldblooded in his first start. Meditating during TV timeouts. Diving across the crease to make saves. Staring down shooters and making those glove saves look easy. He made a game against the New York Rangers look like a game against the UMass-Lowell Riverhawks.
Levi stopped 31 of 33 shots, only allowing 2 goals on 3.66 expected goals against, en route to the Sabres 3-2 OT win over the Rangers. He also had arguably the most “goalie” post-game interview of all-time:
It’s hard to not like the guy, especially amongst a fanbase that has a goaltending fraternity that includes names like Dominik Hasek and Ryan Miller. Every generation of Sabres fans has had that goalie and the hope is that Devon Levi can be exactly that for this new generation.
His second career start should be a fun one as it comes against the team that drafted him (and traded him away): the Florida Panthers. It’s also a game that is crucial for both teams’ late season playoff pushes. The more pressure Levi faces, the better he plays, so hopefully he can pull off some magic tonight.
I will say this: if Devon Levi keeps continues to play like he did against the Rangers then it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to send him down to the AHL next season.
Casey Mittelstadt and finding his role
The start to Casey Mittelstadt’s 2022/23 season was…concerning. Especially for a player who has struggled throughout the majority of his NHL career to carve out a sustainable role.
Is he a skill guy? Is he an energy guy? Is he a shooter?
Here’s a nice little visualization from JFresh Hockey that goes over the areas that Mittelstadt has thrived in (or maybe not thrived in) this season:
He’s pretty much become a pass-first guy who can set up dangerous chances and support the movement of the puck up ice. He has kept things simple this season and it has worked for him. Mittelstadt had to re-invent his game a bit, having the smarts and skills to do so.
The Eden Prairie and USA WJC team version of Mittelstadt struggled to exist at the NHL level. The upright skating form and the over-willingness to attempt low percentage plays caused his overall game to plummet at the pro level.
But he has leveraged his skill to become a useful piece in this Sabres lineup. If he keeps up this level of play, he may have a role on this team for quite a while. This was something that appeared unlikely just a few months ago.
Mittelstadt picked up 3 assists in the win against the Flyers on Saturday, giving him 49 points in 75 games this season. That crushes his career high of 25 in 77 games back in 2018/19. He has just been playing some fun hockey as of late:
Prospects Update: Savoie racking up points, Östlund returns
It’s April, so that means playoff hockey for the majority of Sabres prospects. The Winnipeg Ice and Matthew Savoie kicked off their WHL Playoffs campaign this past weekend, beating Medicine Hat in their first two games.
Savoie had an extremely productive weekends with 4 goals and 3 assists in those two games, not a bad start to the postseason for him:
Savoie has not been afraid to throw the body around as well:
Noah Östlund was sidelined for the last month with an injury, but returned to the lineup for Djurgårdens as the opened up their series against Björklöven in the Allsvenskan semifinals. Östlund scored a goal but his team would fall 3-2 in OT:
Game Preview: Sabres @ Panther, 4/4/23, 7:00 PM ET
The biggest Sabres game of the past decade? Yes (for now at least)
Panthers by the Numbers 📊
Record: 39-31-7 (85 points) | Division: 4th | League: 18th
5v5 Expected Goals-For Percentage (xGF%): 54.8% (4th in the NHL)
5v5 Goals-For Percentage (GF%): 54.6% (6th in the NHL)
Scouting the Panthers
Win Goaltending Battle: do not be fooled by the Panthers’ place in the standings as they are one of the best 5v5 teams in the league. However, their starting goalie is currently Alex Lyon as their top two goalies are out. The Sabres are coming in with a motivated Devon Levi. They’ve got a good chance to win the battle in net to cancel out any 5v5 xG disadvantages
Contain Tkachuk: Florida’s offense is a different beast when Matthew Tkachuk is on the ice and they can’t let things get out of hand when he’s out there. It could be a chaotic night defensively if not careful
Players to Watch
Sam Reinhart (FLA): let us focus in on an old friend. Reinhart has quietly been carving out some very solid numbers for the Panthers. He has 8 points in his last 4 games as his squad has been stringing together some big wins
Devon Levi (BUF): all eyes will be on the goalie in Buffalo once again. The rookie goalkeeper looks to make magic once again as the Sabres look to pick up a crucial two points in Florida. It’s also a bit of a “revenge game” against the team that traded him away