Buffalo Sabres’ Devon Levi, Zach Benson out day-to-day with lower-body injuries

The Buffalo Sabres have announced that goaltender Devon Levi and left winger Zach Benson are day-to-day with lower-body injuries.

Levi played the entirety of Buffalo’s game on Thursday, making 32 saves in a 4-3 loss to the Calgary Flames. The team’s goalie of the future, Levi has a 1-3-0 record with a 3.26 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage while starting every game for the team this year. In his absence, Eric Comrie and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will finally get their chance to shine as the team continues to run with three goaltenders.

Benson, 18, played a season-low 12:08 on Thursday, registering no shots and a minus-three rating. Still, the 18-year-old impressed enough to earn a starting night lineup spot just a few months after going 13th overall. Benson had two assists in his NHL debut, his only points through four games so far. Benson could return to the WHL’s Wenatchee Wild if the team believes the best course of action is for him to get more puck touches and opportunities back in major junior before making another attempt at a full-time spot next season.

The Sabres are last in the Atlantic Division with a difficult 1-3-0 start. Many projected the Sabres to push for a playoff spot, and there’s still the majority of the season to go. But with a younger lineup, expect more growing pains for a team on the rise.

Buffalo will host the New York Islanders on Saturday evening before welcoming Montreal on Monday. The Sabres will then head on the road to take on Ottawa on Tuesday and the New Jersey Devils on Friday. By then, we should know more about what the Sabres have planned for both Levi and Benson.