Have the Oilers Found a Special Goalie in Devon Levi?

I've always liked Devon Levi. I enjoyed watching him break in with the Buffalo Sabres, and when he landed with the Edmonton Oilers, I wondered what might happen if he finally got a real opportunity to show what he could do. Well, we're starting to find out.

Levi has won each of his first four starts this season, and the Oilers are giving him another chance Thursday against the Utah Mammoth. He's stopped 39 of 40 shots in his most recent outing against Los Angeles, and he's allowed just four goals on 91 shots over his last three games. Those are encouraging numbers for a goaltender who began the season with a rough outing.

But I think there's a little more to this story than a young goalie putting together a nice stretch.

Sometimes, a Young Goaltender Just Needs a Chance.

Levi is 24, which is still young for an NHL goaltender. Yet the position has a funny way of working. Teams can spend years looking for a dependable starter, but young goalies sometimes get judged on a handful of games before they've had much chance to settle in.

Levi has already shown flashes of what he can do. The challenge has been putting it together consistently and getting enough opportunities to build confidence. Granted, his first outing this season wasn't pretty. Since then, though, he's responded by making saves, winning games and giving Edmonton a reason to keep sending him out there.

That's important because a goaltender doesn't need to be perfect every night. He needs to give his team a chance to win, and he needs to show that when things go wrong, he can regroup instead of letting one bad period turn into three. Levi did that against Anaheim, allowing two first-period goals before settling down over the final 40 minutes. He followed that up with some strong work against Los Angeles. For a young goalie, learning how to reset matters almost as much as making the spectacular save.

Edmonton Could Have Found Something in Levi.

Let's not get carried away. Four starts don't make a season, and Edmonton still needs to see how Levi handles tougher stretches and the inevitable nights when the puck seems to find every bad bounce. But I like what I'm seeing. The Oilers need dependable goaltending. They don't necessarily need someone to steal every game, but they do need a goalie who can make the important saves and give their talented forwards a chance to win.

Levi appears to be making a case for more work. If he keeps playing this way, the coaching staff will face a difficult decision when it comes to distributing starts. And that's a good problem to have.

What Happens Next for Devon Levi?

Here's the part I'm watching. Can Levi keep this going when teams have more video on him and the pressure builds? I don't know. Neither does anyone else just yet. But I remember liking this kid in Buffalo, and I wondered whether a change of scenery and a genuine opportunity might help him find his game.

Maybe that's what's happening in Edmonton. Sometimes, players don't need to be written off or rescued. They just need a chance to show what they can do. Levi is getting that chance now, and he's making the most of it. I'm rooting for him to keep it going.