The Buffalo Sabres have more goalies on their roster than most across the NHL, as they have Colten Ellis, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Alex Lyon. For most of the season, Lyon has been the team's best goalie to begin the season, but he hasn't seen the ice since he was pulled early in the game against the Colorado Avalanche. The team's decisions in net should now have fans raising questions.
In the game against the Avalanche, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was the backup and went in for Lyon to finish the game out. He finished the game allowing three goals on 27 shots in almost 53 minutes of ice time, and on the season has only one win in four chances.
Since that Avalanche game, Colten Ellis has gotten the nod as the starter in three straight games. That wasn't overly surprising because Ellis had looked good up to that stretch, and the Sabres seemingly want to stick with the hot hand.
It worked for the first two starts before he struggled against the Calgary Flames when he let in six goals. The Sabres almost certainly were going to have a new goalie in net against the Chicago Blackhawks, regardless of performance, after Ellis played three straight.
However, the decision to have Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen start against the Chicago Blackhawks is surprising to say the least.
What are the Buffalo Sabres planning to do with Alex Lyon?
The Buffalo Sabres are facing another must-win after a lackluster performance against the Calgary Flames. It would have made sense for them to give their best chance at a win, and having Alex Lyon certainly would have helped.
Instead, the decision to go with Luukkonen is risky and makes fans wonder what the reasoning for it is. Did the coaching staff lose confidence in Lyon after the Avalanche game? The decision to pull him that early was not due to performance, according to Lindy Ruff. He just needed a moment to get the team reset and refocused.
However, having Luukkonen in net tonight might say otherwise.
Are the Buffalo Sabres planning on saving Lyon for the game on Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes? This doesn't make a lot of sense, as one of Lyon's worst games of the season was against the Hurricanes when he allowed four goals against them on November 8th, when the Sabres would lose 6-3.
Maybe the Buffalo Sabres are trying to keep him off the ice to avoid injury as they work out a trade? The Sabres have three goalies on the roster, and they are going to have to make a decision sooner rather than later on the position. This three-goalie rotation is not working, as evidenced by Lyon's extended absence in net.
Ukko-Pekka Luukonen's contract makes him almost untradeable at this point, and Colten Ellis is young and could be a long-term piece to the position. That would leave Lyon, who is in the first year of a two-year contract, as a potential trade option and arguably the most attractive.
He has played well to this point in the season and as a veteran with a reasonable contract, teams like the Edmonton Oilers could be interested.