For the first time since the beginning of April last season, the Buffalo Sabres have won back-to-back road games after securing a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night after a 4-3 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers. One of the reasons for the recent success has been the performance of Alex Lyon, who is proving to be the Sabres most important goalie.
On Thursday night against the Canucks, Lyon got his first start since November 28th, when he allowed five goals against the New Jersey Devils and capped off a rough three-game stretch. Prior to that, he was pulled only six minutes into his start against Colorado after allowing two goals, and allowed four goals against the Hurricanes the start before that.
However, against the Canucks he looked like the goalie that started the season, who was helping keep the Sabres in games when they weren't playing their best. He finished this game, stopping 30 out of 32 shots, including all 12 shots he faced in the third period when the Sabres had only two to help secure the win.
Alex Lyon is proving to be the ideal backup goalie for the Buffalo Sabres
The performance Lyon had as the starting goalie on Thursday night was great to see, but in the past three games, he has really shown why he is so valuable to this team. In the prior two games before his start, Lyon had to step in when he was expected to be the starter.
On Monday against the Calgary Flames, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen got the start and allowed five goals on 22 shots. He would be pulled during the second intermission and replaced with Lyon, who would stop all four shots he faced in that final period and help keep a potential win in reach.
It unfortunately didn't happen, and the Flames would score two empty-net goals to hand the Sabres the 7-4 loss.
The Sabres were back on the ice Tuesday night, and Colten Ellis would be getting the start against the Edmonton Oilers. Once again, Lyon was the backup, and the Sabres once again needed him to step in after Ellis suffered a head injury towards the end of the first period.
Lyon finished the game stopping 21 out of 24 shots, and while the Oilers did come back in that game, it is hard to put all the blame on the goalie. The Sabres had a few defensive lapses, along with a few missed penalties by the refs, that helped Edmonton push it to overtime.
Thankfully, Alex Tuch was able to ensure the Sabres got the win with his goal in overtime and the start of this small win-streak on the road.
In the game against the Canucks, it was back and forth on the scoreboard, but it was the Canucks who were really controlling the flow of the game. The Sabres only had 15 shots on goal in the entire game and made the most of those chances with the three goals.
Meanwhile, the Canucks really tested the Sabres in the defensive zone, and it was a combination of blocked shots, the Sabres finished with 26, along with the excellent play by Alex Lyon.
At some point, the Buffalo Sabres are going to have to end the three-goalie rotation experiment. However, the decision should really be between Colten Ellis and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen because Lyon has shown over the past week just what makes him so valuable to this team.
Whether it is as a starter or being asked to step in during the game, Alex Lyon is showing he is capable of handling either role and giving this team a chance to win. It won't be perfect every night but this is a great skill set for Lindy Ruff and company to have available and really strengthens the position.