Let's put some respect on Alex Lyon's name
The Red Wings goalie has been on more than just a three-week heater.
There was a piece the other day that caught my eye suggesting the Detroit Red Wings as a potential landing spot for Elvis Merzļikins, the Columbus Blue Jackets goalie that has been surrounded by controversy and hasn’t been very good since his five-year contract extension, worth $5.4 million per season, kicked in.
The justification of Detroit as a fit for Merzļikins was the following:
For now, it appears the Red Wings have found a solution in net. Alex Lyon is on a three-week heater, during which he’s gone 5-1-1 with a .914 save percentage, and it’s lifted Detroit to the top of a tight wild-card race in the East. How likely is that to last throughout the season for a goalie who’s spent the vast majority of his career in the AHL? Let’s just say there are reasons to be skeptical.
If you want to be skeptical of Lyon’s NHL staying power, you are free to do so.
He made his 14th start of the season last night for Detroit, and with his next appearance will tie his career-high for NHL appearances in a season.
Last season Lyon played in 15 NHL games for the Florida Panthers, had a .912 save percentage and 2.89 goals against average.
This season he has a .922 save percentage and 2.58 goals against average.
Over a 29-game sample size the past two seasons, Lyon has 19 quality starts to just three really bad starts — games with a save percentage below 85 percent.
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