George Richards, FHN Publisher
Rarely have the Florida Panthers had so much riding on the gold medal game of the World Juniors but Tuesday night, with goalie prospects Spencer Knight and Devon Levi in opposing nets, they really cannot lose.
Knight, Florida’s first-round pick in 2019, is expected to be the starting goalie when Team USA plays Canada at 9:30 (NHL Network) in the championship bout.
Opposing Knight will be Levi, Florida’s final pick of the 2020 draft in October, a player GM Bill Zito credited Roberto Luongo identified as a target for the Panthers whose stock has shot through the roof during his amazing run in this tournament.
“It’s been really exciting particularly because Roberto Luongo wanted to take him pretty much through the draft,’’ Zito said over the weekend.
“Kudos to him because he had identified Devon and never wavered. So it’s exciting. It’s exciting for Roberto and for Devon and it’s great.”
Florida coach Joel Quenneville said while the game may start a little late, he will be watching and made a “friendly” wager with defenseman Keith Yandle on the outcome.
We have to assume Quenneville, from Windsor, Ont., took Levi and Team Canada while Yandle — a proud Boston boy — took Knight and Team USA.
Knight and Levi are believed to be the first two sets of goalies to be drafted by the same organization to face each other in a World Juniors title bout.
“I thought at the start of the tournament ‘wouldn’t it be something if they ever played for the championship together’ and here they go,” Quenneville said Tuesday.
“It’s an all-time rivalry and I am looking forward to it. I’m rooting a little bit more on the one side, for sure, and took a little bit of action with Yans today. We’ll see how that plays out.
“But certainly there will be a lot of people watching and it has been a great tournament for both teams … it’ll be a little late, but let’s go!’’
While Knight is the more well-known name — John Vanbiesbrouck said at the 2019 draft that he would be “a legacy goalie. He is going to be a top-five goalie in the NHL and I have no doubt of that” — it has been Levi who has turned the World Juniors on its ear.
Levi, who has yet to play at Northeastern University this season, has some of the best goalie numbers in World Junior tournament history.
A gold medal tonight would only solidify his standing as one of the top performers the tournament has ever seen.
Levi has won all six games he has played for the unbeaten (and loaded) Canadian team, making close to 98 percent of his saves with three shutouts and a 0.53 GAA.
Knight, after a rough start in the opener as he allowed four goals on 12 shots in a loss to Russia, has gone 4-1-0 in this tournament with two shutouts, a 1.98 GAA and a .922 save percentage.
On Monday, he made 11 saves in a 4-3 victory over Finland (and Florida’s 2020 first-round selection Anton Lundell) to help Team USA into the gold medal game.
Knight is currently a sophomore at Boston College and could potentially be with the Panthers as early as next training camp.
“I don’t think about how many goals I have given up because at the end of the day it’s all about the wins and losses,” Knight said after shutting out Sweden on New Year’s Eve to get Team USA into the quarterfinal round.
“I could stand here and talk about individual stats, but it doesn’t do anyone any good. It’s not about that. It’s about the team winning and having fun.”
It should be a beauty of a championship game for hockey fans, sure, but especially for fans of the Florida Panthers.
Their goalie situation down the road looks pretty secure.
“The job is not done and we’re looking forward to tomorrow,” Levi said after getting his third shutout of the tournament with 27 saves in a 5-0 win over Russia in a semifinal Monday night in Edmonton.
Levi rides a two-game shutout streak into Tuesday’s tilt.
“For me, I just want to give my team the best chance to win and I know they’re going to need me. When they do, I make sure I am there to make some saves and give us some momentum.”