VANCOUVER — It is a high-wire act without, ironically, a net.
Two nights after Tristan Jarry failed so fabulously on the national stage, the Edmonton Oilers will turn to 24-year-old Devon Levi in goal against the Vancouver Canucks Thursday (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+ at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT).
Faced with opening the Mike Babcock era with a pair of losses to last season’s 32nd place team, Edmonton hands the keys to a kid making just his 37th National Hockey League start and 40th appearance.
Is that a lot of pressure to heap on Levi?
“I think it's just the opposite,” Babcock said after a morning skate that revealed yet another injury, with Zach Hyman (upper body) out of the lineup.
“You come into the league, you want to play, don't you? If you believe in yourself, that's the whole key in everything in life.
“Your dad can't give you confidence. Your coach can't give you confidence. You’ve got to earn confidence,” Babcock said. “I bet you he's just relishing the opportunity.”
Levi has earned the praise of his elder teammates this fall; his work at captain’s skates and in training camp has had leaders like Leon Draisaitl singling him out for impressive play.
Meanwhile, the young goalie will tell you that — despite limited minutes spent in an NHL crease thus far — he is far more ready for this opportunity today than he was at any point during his tenure with the Buffalo Sabres.
“I’ve been through more,” Levi said Thursday. “There's more under my belt. More experiences I can pull from. More in the toolbox. Not only on the ice but off the ice too.”
It is yet another sequel in the cinematic franchise that has become the Oilers’ pursuit of stable goaltending, a screening that has been equal parts psychological thriller and whodunit. Or more accurately, who’s going to do it?
Somehow a front office that has collected the necessary skaters to become a legitimate Stanley Cup contender has never found its piece in goal, writhing from the Mikko Koskinen-Mike Smith era, through Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard, to now a three-man system that encapsulates the oft-injured Frederik Anderson, the oft-filleted Jarry, and the entirely unproven Levi.
For Levi, this is what a motivational speaker might call the precise intersection where preparation meets opportunity. A wide open door to become The Guy for a team that’s desperately hoping for someone to step up and take the gig.
“What else can you can you ask for?” Levi said. “As a goalie … you want to be on a contender and you want to be the guy.
“All that being said, the focus here today is just to have fun, be present. I'm not looking at the end of the year and to win (the No. 1 job) today. Just let's see how I can put one block down to build a foundation for the end of the year."
M*A*S*H* Unit
Hyman’s injury, suffered in the final pre-season game against Calgary last Saturday night, leaves Babcock jumbling his forward lines once again. Tonight, he will be without his two top-six left wingers (Matt Savoie, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins), his top line right-winger in Hyman, his third-line centreman in Jason Dickinson, and two-fifths of his top power-play unit.
With only 12 healthy forwards on the trip, call-up Josh Samanski will centre the fourth line. Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid played on a line together at the morning skate, leaving the Oilers perilously inexperienced up the middle of the ice as they trundle along without five forwards who were expected to play every night.
Here’s how Edmonton lined up at the morning skate:
Podkolzin-McDavid-Draisaitl
Jones-Dach-Kapanen
Formenton-Michaels-Joseph
Howard-Samanski-Frederic
Ekholm-Bouchard
Shea-Murphy
Walman-Mukhamadullin
Levi
