Faith shown by Panthers in Alex Lyon being rewarded ten times over

Lyon's stability in Florida's net has given his teammates full confidence in the goaltender's ability to carry them through the playoffs

Like an action hero swooping in to save the day at just the right time, Florida Panthers goaltender Alex Lyon is being viewed as the team’s knight in shining armor.

He’s their Captain America. Their Liam Neeson.

It wasn’t long ago that the Panthers season was slipping away. The playoffs were nearly taken from them.

Fortunately, Lyon has a very particular set of skills.

“He’s very square (to the shooter),” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “His timing has been excellent on seam plays…he’s dialed in. He’s square and efficient.”

Without Lyon’s heroics during the regular season, Florida would be watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs from their couches.

Instead, they’re going toe-to-toe with the record-breaking Boston Bruins.

“He’s the unsung hero,” said Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk. “He’s the reason why we’re in the playoffs.”

Lyon finished the season on a remarkable run.

He started each of Florida’s final eight games, going 6-1-1 during that stretch with a .942 save percentage and 1.87 goals against average to help the Cats clinch the second Wild Card spot.

Calm, cool and collected in the Panthers’ cage, Lyon has not shown any signs of letting up.

His lateral movement has been powerful yet measured, but it's his rebound control that has been off the charts. 

Pucks that he isn't able to absorb into his equipment are almost always directed into the glass, toward or corner or simply away from where the opposing players are. 

On the rare occasions where pucks stick around Lyon's crease, Florida's defenders have done well to clean up the loose trash. 

“He’s been rock solid,” said Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas. “He earned his position to be here and he’s giving us a chance to win.”

Goaltending has not been an area of consistency for Florida in recent years.

Sergei Bobrovsky has started the majority of the games since he signed a seven-year, $70 million contract with the Panthers during the summer of 2019.

Bob’s tenure with Florida has been quite up-and-down, with very few extended stretches of reliable puck stopping. His best run with the Panthers was a three month stretch bridging last regular season and last year’s playoffs.

Bobrovsky hadn’t been playing particularly well when an illness forced him out of Florida’s lineup late in the regular season.

With the Panthers struggling, having lost four straight, and the playoffs seemingly hanging in the balance, it was Lyon who grabbed the megaphone and gave the "Independence Day" speech.

“We will not go quietly into the night. We will not vanish without a fight.”

Sure, that was President Thomas J. Whitmore (portrayed by Bill Pullman) in the movie, but it was Lyon playing the part in real life, climbing into his fighter jet and eradicating opponent after opponent until the day had been saved and a playoff spot was secured.

“When we needed him, he stepped up and he got the job done,” Florida General Manager Bill Zito said earlier this week. “He excelled.”

Now the fate of both Lyon’s amazing run and the Panthers playoff hopes are intertwined, for better or worse.

So far he’s answered the bell against one of only two teams that scored more than 300 goals this season (the other, of course, was Edmonton).

Last year at this time Lyon was helping the AHL’s Chicago Wolves go on a playoff run that ended with a Calder Cup Championship.

Can he do it again on the sport’s biggest stage?

His teammates sure think so.

“He just comes in here with so much confidence, it gives us even more confidence to play in front of him,” said Tkachuk.