Since his memorable win on Jan. 4 at the Bell Center, Buffalo Sabers goaltender Devon Levi has lost a few feathers on the club's organizational chart, as teammate Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen appears to have gained the trust of head coach Don Granato.

After defeating the Montreal Canadian 6 to 1, the Quebecer played his next game five days later and the result was different: his team lost 5 to 2 to the Seattle Kraken. Since then, the 22-year-old has sat comfortably on the bench while Luukkonen has excelled on the ice.

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Additionally, the Finn has won four of his last five games and his only loss came on Saturday, 1-0 against the Vancouver Canucks. Additionally, he shut out the San Jose Sharks in his final game on Monday and was scheduled to face the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.

Consequently, Levi can expect to wait longer as the Sabers appear unwilling to demote him to the Rochester Americans in the American League, where Eric Comrie is notably based. According to Granato, the most efficient players at the moment will play, and that also applies to the goalkeepers.

“It's great to see him take advantage of this opportunity because it means we've had some success in terms of winning. However, I didn't give him any gifts. He deserved it, that was clear, the head coach told “The Buffalo News” a few days ago. He was good and needs to continue to improve.”

“You can just say I’m doing my job by making these saves, but it makes you feel good,” Luukkonen said. This way I can help the team win, especially in games that are close until the end. It remains the case that what matters is our good play together and reducing scoring chances [de l’adversaire].”

Not to Levi's advantage

With his good series, the European took the lead from Levi in ​​statistical terms. When the two men have played roughly the same number of games (22 for Luukkonen and 19 for the Dollard-des-Ormeaux native), the former of the two has a goals-against average of 2.77 and an efficiency ratio of .906 . For his part, Levi maintained more modest numbers, with a 3.32 average and a percentage of .889.

Next week he could finally get the chance to return to action. After visiting the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, the Sabers head west. They face the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday and the Los Angeles Kings the next day.