GDT: Rangers at Sabres-03-31 7:00PM Levi debuts

[JohnC]

9 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

It's not "irrelevant". As I said, he may be able to overcome it, but he will have to be better than many other goalies to do that. Maybe he will be. Don't know yet. Rangers were not shooting high. As for puck control, he lost it several times between his pads, once resulting in a goal. Maybe first game nerves, but if he does that a lot there will be a lot of dirty goals against and teams knowing that will drive the paint harder. With our D, that may be a big problem. 

He is an exciting prospect, but it remains to be seen if will be set him back by rushing him in and/or how he develops. Looking at UPL's failures and lack of development I'm not sure we have the right goalie coach either. 

Possibly. Have to see more to be sure. 

His size and physical are irrelevant as demonstrated by the fact that there are goalies with dramatically different body types that do succeed. You are too invested in the notion of prototypical size for a position. It's an outdated concept that some scouts are too enamored with. There are slower players that are better than faster players. There are weaker players that are better than stronger players. etc. etc. There is a fundamental issue that circumscribes the evaluation of a player: How does the player play! 

[PromoTheRobot]

3 minutes ago, sabresouth said:

Great game. What a refreshing sight to see what a real goalie looks like. Not one soft goal was let in. Kept the team in it with just two goals allowed.  Any of our other goalies and we lose this 4-2. I will also give credit to the team for playing good defense in front of Levi 

Wellllll, if it were Comrie or UPL allowing that second goal (the one Levi lost sight of under him) we'd all be calling for their heads. Levi also lost track of that first fluky goal as well.

[JohnC]

10 hours ago, Buffalonill said:

If they dont start Levi tomorrow they gave up on the season. 

Prove us wrong 

I don't know who is going to start in Philly. In my opinion, Comrie should start. I'm confident that it is a minority opinion. 

[jad1]

10 hours ago, OverPowerYou said:

Ralph Krueger would probably bench Devon Levi for the rest of the year after his performance 

And would have healthy-scratched Skinner since the All-Star break.

[JohnC]

10 hours ago, pi2000 said:

Levi allowed 2 goals on 3.64 xGA.

In a one goal game, that's the difference between a win and a loss.

That's how you make the playoffs. 

With this caliber of goaltending we would be talking about playoff matchups and not about longshot qualifying odds. The Sabres would be at least 10 pts better in the standing that where they are now. And I'm being conservative in my estimation. 

[DarthEbriate]

2 hours ago, French Collection said:

Levi doesn’t even need the goatheads.

6 hours ago, steveoath said:

Set the beast free.

He didn't need goatheads or giraffes. He did need the Muel, though.

3 hours ago, triumph_communes said:

Levi didn’t get beat on an initial shot. He is so quick. His rebound control is interesting.

He's a legit NHL goalie in that if he sees it, he stops it. Yes there will be occasional bad one that all goalies give up, but he's going to make so many great shots look harmless because he'll already be there by reading the play and being extremely fast. (A quicker Miller.)

1 minute ago, jad1 said:

And would have healthy-scratched Skinner since the All-Star break.

Maybe not scratched, but he'd never have made it back to the top line. And Thompson would be a 3rd-line winger.

[JohnC]

11 hours ago, Mango said:

Replay of Greenways goal.

 

 

How did this picture get by the moderators? It looks like a penis with a severe curve at the top. 😬

[DarthEbriate]

4 minutes ago, JohnC said:

With this caliber of goaltending we would be talking about playoff matchups and not about longshot qualifying odds. The Sabres would be at least 10 pts better in the standing that where they are now. And I'm being conservative in my estimation. 

Yup. Levi is going to demand the Oettinger treatment. He might not make the Sabres out of camp (but he won't have the likes of established NHL goalies Bishop and Khudobin in front of him), but he's playing fewer than 40 career AHL games before he's back up with the Sabres for good. And yes, that means moving a goalie if need be to clear the roster spot.

[nfreeman]

by the way, Skinner really brought it last night.  

[Buffalonill]

32 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I don't know who is going to start in Philly. In my opinion, Comrie should start. I'm confident that it is a minority opinion. 

Team plays different behind Levi. 

I say ride it out you have nothing to lose. 

 

[JustOneParade]

I wasn’t able to see the game last night but followed along here and watched the extended highlights this morning. Then the following dawned on me this morning (pun unintended).

Assuming in his remaining games the Levi we saw last night is a reasonable representation of the player he is, it is going to be a painfully long wait between the end of the season and the start of next in October. And this from someone who subscribes to the idea that you don’t wish your life away.

[Buffalonill]

11 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

by the way, Skinner really brought it last night.  

It was funny when he tried keeping it PG for the kids saying "f$$$$$"$$$" at the floor on the  Bench

[Buffalonill]

22 minutes ago, JohnC said:

How did this picture get by the moderators? It looks like a penis with a severe curve at the top. 😬

[JohnC]

7 minutes ago, Buffalonill said:

Team plays different behind Levi. 

I say ride it out you have nothing to lose. 

 

The team play for Comrie in his recent games has also been good. This has been a whirlwind week for Levi. I would let him decompress. We'll see who the coach decides to put in. I trust his judgment and am fine with whatever he decides. 

[DarthEbriate]

2 minutes ago, JohnC said:

The team play for Comrie in his recent games has also been good. This has been a whirlwind week for Levi. I would let him decompress. We'll see who the coach decides to put in. I trust his judgment and am fine with whatever he decides. 

The team had an emotional high with Levi. They can let him enjoy that. Now it's back to work (I'd go Comrie who has also looked decent lately). The key is how does the team respond against a team/coaching style that has given them all sorts of trouble this season. If the Sabres can get a couple goals early (or via PP) or whatever to take the lead, they'll blow Philly out of the water. But if Philly can get a lead and go full Torts... will the Sabres show the resolve they showed for Levi?

[LETSTUCHINGO]

4 minutes ago, Buffalonill said:

Team plays different behind Levi. 

I say ride it out you have nothing to lose. 

 

I was at the game last night and it was the most electric the fans have been all year! Standing up for every save, drowning out any and all attempts at a Rangers chant, and then ERUPTING on the Skinner game winning goal! They way Skinner turned around immediately to point at Levi gave me chills! They played inspired/confident hockey with Levi in net, for me, it was the best game of the season! Levi has the “it” factor. The goal over the shoulder was fluky and the second goal was on the team. He stopped and had it, his teammates allowed the Rangers to gather around the net and poke at it instead of clearly them out. Levi should play today and if he wins they should ride him! KA and DG talk about giving the kids experience and time to grow, what a chance to do it now with Levi! It’s our best chance at the playoffs as well. Win, win!!!

[kas23]

I’m fine with Comrie starting in goal tonight. There’s no need to overwhelm Levi at this point. He’s being eased in. Let him relax and bask in the glory for a bit, then throw him back in. 

[JohnC]

Attached is a link from Sabres.com with Granato's postgame comments. There is a segment at around the 5 min point where the coach talks about Greenway. He made a comment indicating that he is still playing impaired and that he expects that he will be better next year. 

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/don-granato-postgame-33123/t-277822760/c-16305474

[DarthEbriate]

Also... Greenway with the ol' Sanderson one-handed flick goal. Nicely done.

[dudacek]

5 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

What a headspace to occupy for a goalie. "I learned tonight the NHL is hockey. It's been my dream to be challenged by the best."

What did you think when Panarin got the puck in the slot? "Oh, I loved it!"

"I was hoping for some one timers on the power play!"

I'll admit. I laughed out loud.

The euphoria of this thread ain’t going to last.

But I’ve been trying to tell you: this is not another fragile little kid.

Edited April 1, 2023 by dudacek

[MBD]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Wellllll, if it were Comrie or UPL allowing that second goal (the one Levi lost sight of under him) we'd all be calling for their heads. Levi also lost track of that first fluky goal as well.

I disagree.  That first goal wouldn't have been impossible for any goalie to stop.  The second one was him losing it under his pads and having no idea where it went.

[Weave]

18 minutes ago, dudacek said:

The euphoria of this thread ain’t going to last.

But I’ve been trying to tell you: this is not another fragile little kid.

To the first part, yeah.  A lot of declarations and determinations for a sample size of one behind a team that played uncharacteristically in front of him.  There is nowhere but down from here LOL.

To the second part, let’s hope we don’t reach a point where Levi is  commenting on the fragile little kids when the games are meaningful again.  We’ve seen that ending before…..

Edited April 1, 2023 by Weave

[dudacek]

8 minutes ago, Weave said:

.

To the second part, let’s hope we don’t reach a point where Levi is  commenting on the fragile little kids when the games are meaningful again.  We’ve seen that ending before…..

Yeah, I didn’t pull that reference randomly.

Adams seems to have tried to focus on players wired to compete. It will be interesting to see how that manifests itself when these kids are men.

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, DarthEbriate said:

Yup. Levi is going to demand the Oettinger treatment. He might not make the Sabres out of camp (but he won't have the likes of established NHL goalies Bishop and Khudobin in front of him), but he's playing fewer than 40 career AHL games before he's back up with the Sabres for good. And yes, that means moving a goalie if need be to clear the roster spot.

Don't count out Levi making the Sabre roster when training camp is concluded. He possesses maturity traits that indicate him being able to handle the jump up. Last night was an indication of that. The season is winding down. If he plays as he did against the Rangers in his upcoming games, it will increase the odds that he makes the roster when the season starts. It's a very credible claim right now to say that he is our best goalie. 

[French Collection]

8 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Don't count out Levi making the Sabre roster when training camp is concluded. He possesses maturity traits that indicate him being able to handle the jump up. Last night was an indication of that. The season is winding down. If he plays as he did against the Rangers in his upcoming games, it will increase the odds that he makes the roster when the season starts. It's a very credible claim right now to say that he is our best goalie. 

There is a chance he makes the team in the fall, I won’t deny that. His work this spring will aid his quest if he plays a few more like last night. I think he is already better than UPL. UPL may not get another game this year and that would not break my heart.

I think he is special, I just don’t want to pencil him in Buffalo full time yet. 
 

UPL is probably thinking Portillo is a smart man.