The Buffalo Sabres have placed goaltender Eric Comrie on injured reserve. General manager Kevyn Adams said that the netminder is likely going to miss a few weeks with a lower-body injury.
Comrie’s injury has coincided with an injury to promising rookie goalie Devon Levi, leaving Buffalo without their top two options. The team has turned towards Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devin Cooley in their absence. Luukkonen has recorded a 1-1 record in two starts as the team’s newfound starter, setting a .881 save percentage and 4.83 goals-against-average. Cooley has yet to slot into the starter’s net but will be playing in his NHL debut whenever he gets the chance. Cooley was an undrafted free agent that operated as the backup to Yaroslav Askarov for the Milwaukee Admirals last season. He set a .909 save percentage in 26 games throughout the year – his second full AHL season. Now in the Sabres system, Cooley appeared in four games for the Rochester Americans this season, winning all four games with a .903 save percentage.
Buffalo will undoubtedly anticipate the return of Levi, who has recorded a .892 save percentage and a 1-3-0 record through four games this season. The quartet of games brings him to just 11 career NHL games between this season and last. He has a .901 save percentage through those 11 games and was anticipated to enter the season as the clear-cut starter. But the 21-year-old Levi is facing stark competition in Comrie, who has played in three games and set a .914 save percentage so far this season.
Levi, who is considered day-to-day with injury, will have a clear runway upon his return with Comrie now out of action. But how the duo vies for starts when both are fully healthy should be exciting to see. Either Buffalo will continue with the hot hand of Comrie, who has lost twice despite strong stats, or they’ll further empower the young and promising Levi. Either way, the Sabres are certainly due for better days in net once these injuries clear up.