Red Wings Need Alex Lyon to Spark Another Strong Finish

Alex Lyon went 6-1-1 at the end of last season to put the Florida Panthers in the playoffs. Now, he’ll have to repeat history to get the Detroit Red Wings there, too.

History repeats itself — or at least, the Red Wings hope it does.

Last season, goaltender Alex Lyon finished the season with a 6-1-1 run to end the season and put his then-Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Panthers made a miracle, stinging a record-breaking Boston team in the first round and marching to the finals once starter Sergei Bobrovsky got healthy. A radiant run from Lyon made it all possible.

Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

Now, Detroit needs much the same brilliance from Lyon, its starter who has exceeded expectations all season. Chasing the final wild card spot — tied with Washington who has a game in hand — the Red Wings will need Lyon to spark the same dominance he showed last season to clinch a berth. They’re looking for him to be the catalyst to a strong finish.

“I think he can draw on the end of last season and that stretch of hockey he had back in January,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said Wednesday. “He looks a lot more comfortable in his game. For me, when I see him out playing pucks, helping us on the breakouts, when he’s controlling rebounds, he just looks sharp. And it feels like it’s gonna take a good play to beat him.”

It took more than a good play to beat Lyon when he led the Panthers to a playoff berth last season. He put up a .935 save percentage in that eight-game stretch, including five games above a .920 save percentage. He played some of the best hockey of his career, and it’s bold to expect him to spark a similar run.

Lyon made a good start the past four games with a 1-1-2 record and three starts above a .940 save percentage. That included a win over his former team in Florida on Saturday, when the Panthers thoroughly outworked the Red Wings but needed a shootout to finally put them away. Lyon delivered multiple big saves to earn an overtime point. In Tampa Bay on Monday, Lyon’s efforts against a bevy of high-danger threats held Detroit together until his teammates could win it late in the third.

Ultimately, that resilience is what has made Lyon effective. He excels at the timely saves, the ones that prevent the Red Wings’ shortcomings and mistakes from ruling out a win. In a position that’s rarely defined by perfection, Lyon exceedingly toes the upper limits of what can be expected of him, whether that’s becoming the starter out of a third-string role to start the year, or pulling together some of his best hockey in the final stretch of the season.

Last season, that high level hockey came out of nowhere, the result of competitiveness and a stroke of momentum. Now, he seems to be on a similar track.

“I think that’s where he was at in Florida, and I think that’s where he was at in Tampa, and it exudes some confidence,” Lalonde said of Lyon’s impactful form as of late. “I mean, you can tell when a goalie’s on his A-game, and he’s been there. So that’s a good sign for us, I think it’s no surprise it correlates with some good hockey from our team and some points.”

Lyon’s success more than correlates with good hockey from Detroit — it all but determines the results. In games where Lyon turns in a quality start (that is, he eclipses the league average .904 save percentage), the Red Wings are 15-2-2. When he doesn’t turn in a quality start, they’re 4-13-2. Detroit needs his best hockey to win games, but it also needs his success to avoid losing. Those lost points are really what Detroit wants to avoid, gathering all they can to buy a playoff spot.

In the home stretch of the season, Lyon’s peak form can help the Red Wings bank points these next seven games. He showed last season with the Panthers that he can be a dominant goaltender. If the Red Wings want to make the playoffs and snap the NHL’s second-longest postseason drought, they will need that kind of play out of him.

Maybe, just maybe, Lyon can make history once again.