(Buffalo) Those who were eager to see Quebecer Devon Levi in action against the Canadian will have to wait.
The Dollard-des-Ormeaux goalkeeper is indeed treating a lower body injury. Levi did not participate in Monday’s morning practice. It is therefore Eric Comrie, author of a victory against the Islanders on Saturday, who will defend the net for the men in blue.
“It shouldn’t be much longer,” Sabres head coach Don Granato said of Levi.
His absence therefore means that the Sabers are entitled to a break in their management of the triumvirate of goaltenders. Like in Montreal, the team started the season with three goalies, Comrie, Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The latter has yet to play this season and Saturday’s game was Comrie’s first start.
At 28, Comrie is the veteran of the bunch, well ahead of Luukkonen (24) and Levi (21). “It’s going well, our goalie coach is making sure that we always have a sufficient volume of work,” he said, in the Sabers locker room.
Comrie explains that the starting goalie gets his “own net” the morning of a game and the day before, while the other two have to share the other goal.
The Sabers are less stuck than the CH, because they still have the option of trading Levi in the American League; he does not need to go through the waiver. The other two, however, should first be offered to the other 31 teams. Comrie knows something about this: he was claimed four times (!) on waivers.
But it is especially Luukkonen that the Sabers fear losing. How long will they maintain this system, waiting for a resolution?
“It’s not a question of how long we can continue like this. This is simply our situation, and we are doing what is necessary, Granato said. The difference here is that neither has been #1 in the NHL. It’s not like any of the guys are used to the No. 1 role. Comrie just played his first game, he’s used to waiting between starts. UPL started playing last year and Levi is one step behind them. »
The Sabers will also play Tuesday in Ottawa. They will therefore have the opportunity to give Luukkonen a start, and the three goalkeepers will have seen action since the start of the season.
The Canadian is in the middle of a streak of five games in eight days. It will therefore be interesting to see if we take advantage of this to send Cayden Primeau into the fray. If he doesn’t play during this stretch, we wonder when he will get his chance if Jake Allen and Samuel Montembeault stay healthy.
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