For the first time in the playoffs, the Buffalo Sabres are behind in a series after losing 6-2 to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night. The series is now 2-1 in favor of the Canadiens, and the Sabres have been outscored 11-3 over the past two games. It is going to require some changes from Lindy Ruff and probably a decision that no one wants to make by benching Alex Lyon.
The reason it is a decision no one wants is that Lyon isn't really to blame for the last two losses. While he has been on the ice for nine goals and has a save percentage of only .857, he has been asked to do a lot more with the Sabres' skaters struggling to match the Canadiens.
Even after allowing five goals, Lindy Ruff was quick to defend Alex Lyon and for anyone watching the game, the Sabres head coach was absolutely right when he said "He was very good all night, I will stop you right there. He was very good all night and nothing about Alex Lyon this game."
Alex Lyon has kept the #Sabres in games they didn't have any business being in. 31 saves for him in Game 3 on 36 shots... Lindy Ruff defended him post game. pic.twitter.com/0IgqFxu3lb
— Gretchen Beyer (@gretchenbeyerr) May 11, 2026
Buffalo Sabres must utilize the goalie depth to provide a wake-up all for the rest of the roster
In the past two games, Lyon has faced a total of 31 high-danger chances, compared to 11 in Game 1. A switch in net isn't necessarily a reflection of Lyon's performance but rather a wake-up call for the rest of the team, and helps the Sabres lean on an advantage they have had all season.
For most of the regular season, the Sabres have been able to rotate Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen almost equally. The team has really operated with Lyon and Luukkonen as 1A and 1B in terms of their goaltenders, and bringing in Luukkonen gives the Canadiens something else to account for.
The Sabres have already made a switch once in the playoffs after Luukkonen and the rest of the team struggled in Game 2 against the Boston Bruins. The move to Lyon presented a huge momentum swing as Buffalo would go on to win three of the next four games to secure the series.
A change once again could have a similar effect, as Luukkonen has had success against the Canadiens already this season. While it is a small sample size, he was the starting goalie for one of the Sabres' two regular-season wins against the Canadiens and allowed only two goals and had a save percentage of .941.
There is plenty of blame to go around for the Sabres' performance the past two games, and a switch in net may make it appear that Lyon is a big part of that. However, that hasn't been the case; rather, Lindy Ruff needs to utilize one of the strengths of this roster with the depth at the position to give the rest of the roster a wake-up call while giving the Canadiens a different netminder to prepare for ahead of Game 4.
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