The Buffalo Sabres' best player through two games isn't Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson or Alex Tuch. It's a 32-year-old journeyman goaltender who's kept the Blue and Gold alive in both contests despite 120 minutes of offensive ineptitude.
Alex Lyon posted a 2.55 goals against average and .919 save percentage in Buffalo's season-opening losses to the New York Rangers (4-0) and Boston Bruins (3-1). Those games could have each been lopsided blowouts if not for his strong performance between the pipes.
Lyon, whose career save percentage stands at .902, may not be able to maintain such an elite level of play for much longer. So, the onus is on the Sabres' offense to start shouldering its fair share of the burden before the losing streak gets out of control.
This is the second installment of the Sabres player grades series, which features some unexpected names atop the list given the struggles of the roster's cornerstones.
Buffalo Sabres player grades from the team's Oct. 11 loss to the Boston Bruins
Sabres grades
Player | Grade (1-10) |
|---|---|
Alex Lyon | 8.5 |
Josh Doan | 6.5 |
Peyton Krebs | 5.5 |
Owen Power | 5 |
Justin Danforth | 5 |
Jacob Bryson | 5 |
Rasmus Dahlin | 4 |
Tage Thompson | 4 |
Jack Quinn | 3.5 |
Conor Timmins | 3 |
Bowen Byram | 3 |
Tyson Kozak | 3 |
Jason Zucker | 2.5 |
Mattias Samuelsson | 2.5 |
Ryan McLeod | 2.5 |
Alex Tuch | 2 |
Jiri Kulich | 2 |
Mason Geertsen | 1 |
Beck Malenstyn | 1 |
Buffalo Player of the Game: Alex Lyon
Lyon held the Bruins to one goal during a first-period barrage that saw the Sabres get outshot 13-2, and it was more than halfway through the game before Boston increased its lead to 2-0.
The Yale University product finished the loss with 28 saves on 30 shots. It was the second straight game where he kept Buffalo within striking distance as long as possible, but the Sabres didn't score their first goal of the season until midway through the third period of the second contest.
It's an unfortunate turn of events for the Blue and Gold, which entered the season with serious a question mark between the pipes because of an injury to incumbent starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Lyon has exceeded expectations on a short-term replacement basis.
He shouldn't be asked to carry the entire team on his back, though. It's time for Dahlin, Thompson, Tuch and the rest of Buffalo's skaters to start making a far greater impact on the game. Many of them have been virtually invisible through the season's first two games.
Sabres quick hits
- Josh Doan was once again Buffalo's most consistently impactful forward against Boston.
- Owen Power didn't look back up to full speed in his first appearance of the campaign.
- Tage Thompson is turning the puck over at an alarming rate. It's fair to wonder whether the pressure associated with trying to make the Team USA Olympic roster is weighing on him early on. He's trying to do too much.
- A solid bounce-back performance from Peyton Krebs, who's being asked to play up the lineup once again because of the team's injury issues.
- Hope of a Jack Quinn breakthrough is already beginning to fade. His skating remains subpar two years after the Achilles injury.
- Mason Geertsen and Beck Malenstyn have been useless through two games.
- Buffalo's power play remains an absolute mess.
- The Sabres are back in action Monday afternoon (12:30 p.m. ET) as they host the Colorado Avalanche at the KeyBank Center in a holiday matinee.