BOSTON – Devon Levi’s routine during TV timeouts captivated fans when the Buffalo Sabres goalie arrived in the NHL.
Levi knelt in the slot and meditated as the arena’s ice crew worked around him with shovels to clear the ice of excess snow.
Young goalies imitated him.
A few opponents mocked him.
And, recently, the NHL called him to put a stop to it.
Levi was told by the league’s hockey operations department that he can no longer kneel in the area in front of his net because the crews need to be able to clean the ice. He countered with a possible compromise, but was quickly told to take his routine elsewhere.
So, when Levi made 31 saves in a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins at TD Garden, he knelt at the right faceoff dot and meditated during TV timeouts. He did the same during his two-game stint with the Sabres’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Rochester Americans, last weekend, and when he made a relief appearance for the Sabres in New Jersey last month.
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Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek was the first to confirm the reason behind Levi adjusting the meditation routine. It is possible, if not likely, an opponent complained to the league about Levi’s routine because it could be viewed as a goalie looking for a competitive advantage.
Levi plans to try the faceoff dot for now, then he’ll decide if he needs to alter his routine altogether.
“They weren’t happy I was blocking the snow pathway,” he explained to The Buffalo News. “I told them I’ll move, I’ll go after they’re done, but they told me to kick rocks, basically, and find a new place. Just adapt. It kind of (stinks). That’s kind of the spot that I like, but it is what it is. Move with the punches that are thrown.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to stay there. I’m still trying to find some comfort in that spot. It doesn’t feel like home. We’ll see what happens.”
Injury updates
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen skated with the Sabres on Saturday morning for the first time since an illness kept him out of the lineup the past two games. He is expected to join the team on its road trip this week to Colorado, Vegas and Arizona.
Forwards Alex Tuch and Jordan Greenway also have progressed from their respective injuries to the point that, according to Sabres coach Don Granato, both may play against Vegas and/or Arizona.
Zemgus Girgensons, on the other hand, suffered a setback while recovering from a lower-body injury and is expected to be out longer.
Prospect update
Sabres prospect Noah Ostlund told Smålandsposten, a newspaper in Sweden, that he is still recovering from a concussion that has kept him out of Vaxjo’s lineup, but he hopes to be cleared in time to represent the country at the IIHF World Junior Championship this month.
Ostlund, a first-round pick of Buffalo in 2022, produced four goals and seven points in 17 games for Vaxjo of the Swedish Hockey League prior to the injury. Sweden’s camp for World Juniors, which will be hosted in the country, begins Wednesday. Sabres prospect Anton Forsberg, a second-round pick in 2023, also was selected to its preliminary roster for the tournament.
A few other Sabres prospects were already named to preliminary rosters for their respective countries: Matt Savoie and Scott Ratzlaff with Canada; Max Strbak for Slovakia; and Norwin Panocha for Germany.
Cut protection
Sabres center Tage Thompson wore cut-resistant neck protection at the morning skate Saturday and planned to try it in a game soon to see if it is comfortable enough to wear.
Thompson was cut on the leg recently during a game against the Boston Bruins and, like many other NHLers, never wore a neck guard during a game. His teammate, Henri Jokiharju, has routinely worn one in practices and games over the past month.
“I feel like, why not, right?” said Thompson. “You never know. You never think it can happen to you until it does. So if it feels comfortable on me and it doesn’t really bother me or affect the way I play, why not wear it? So I was just testing it out this morning. It felt fine.”