Philadelphia, Pa. (WGR 550) – Devon Levi was back on the ice with his teammates on Tuesday, as they prepare to play in Philadelphia on Wednesday night against the Flyers.
Levi was happy to be back at practice after missing five games due to soreness. Levi admits it did take a long time to feel right again.
"I was just taking it day-by-day, trying it out to see when I could get back, and then taking a few days off the ice, letting it heal and now I’m back," said Levi following Tuesday's practice. "I feel good on the ice, and I’m so happy to be back."
Levi struggled to get through the Calgary Flames game back on Oct. 19. That was the last game he played.
"The third period was tough. It was definitely there, and I was just trying to play through it," Levi said. "But now we turn the page on that, and I look forward to [Wednesday] and Friday’s game.
"I’m just so happy to be back in the lineup, because it feels like it’s been 10 years since that game."
Levi tries to stay in the moment and control what he can control on his approach on and off the ice.
"I just took the cards that I was dealt and played them," the rookie goalie said. "I just did the best that I could to take the time to heal, get right, get the mind right, get the body right and just refresh. I felt good on the ice today."
Levi says it’s up to the coaches when he will get back in the crease for game action, but he’s getting ready like he’s going to be playing this weekend.
The 21-year-old played the first four games of the season and says it was a great experience for him,
"I loved it, because that’s why I’m here. I’m here to play," Levi said. "That week was a game every two days, so it’s a taste of the season, how mentally and physically tough it is. It was great lessons in those games moving forward.
"Lessons like how to manage my body and mind, and maybe not getting injured after playing four. It was a great opportunity to understand how much time we have on the ice and managing my load moving forward."
Sabres head coach Don Granato hadn’t talked to Levi or the trainers yet, so he didn’t want to comment on if Levi would play this weekend either against the Flyers on Friday night or the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.
General manager Kevyn Adams told reporters on Tuesday that rookie winger Zach Benson’s lower-body injury is now week-to-week. Brandon Biro had an excellent training camp and was just as good in the preseason games.
Biro has been called up from the Rochester Americans and will play Wednesday in Philadelphia.
The 25-year-old was leading the Amerks in scoring last year before getting hurt. He was also going to be called up to the Sabres, but lost that opportunity due to injury.
"It’s really exciting," said Biro of this recent call up. "It was pretty disappointing last year getting hurt and missing out on it, so I’m ready for the opportunity."
Biro is one of the team leaders in Rochester, and he says things have been going well.
"It’s been a lot of fun so far in Rochester," Biro said. "We’ve got a really good team down there, and we just had a good week winning all three games."
Biro says he was able to have a good camp because he doesn’t feel as much pressure.
In five games with the Amerks this season, Biro has two goals and four assists for six points. He’s played 117 AHL games, scoring 32 goals and 71 assists for 103 points.
During the 2021-22 season, Biro did play one game with the Sabres against the Montreal Canadiens. The Alberta native played four seasons at Penn State University before being signed as a college free agent.
Tuesday’s Lines:
Forwards:
Girgensons – Krebs – Okposo
Greenway – Thompson – Biro
Olofsson – Cozens – Tuch (Jost)
Skinner – Mittelstadt – Peterka
Defense:
Dahlin – Samuelsson
Power – Jokiharju
Bryson – Johnson
Clifton
The Sabres will play a home-and-home series with the Flyers on Wednesday and Friday, before heading to Toronto on Saturday.
