Lyon has gone 4-0-0 since Bobrovsky fell under the weather last week

In the span of a week, the Florida Panthers season went from the brink of oblivion to a potential playoff appearance.

A big part of the team’s turnaround has been the play of goaltender Alex Lyon.

The 30-year-old veteran has played the majority of his professional career in the American Hockey League, but he has had several cups of coffee in the NHL over the years.

During his time with the Panthers, Lyon has been called upon to perform at the highest level in some difficult conditions.

There have been two separate instances in which Lyon was asked to start three games in four nights in three different cities.

That would be a big ask of any goaltender these days, let alone a guy who had all of 24 games of NHL experience under his belt.

To say Lyon has performed admirably during these extraordinary circumstances would be an understatement.

He’s compiled a 7-3-1 record in some of Florida’s most important games of the year, but what he’s done recently has really turned some heads.

Over the past week, with the Panthers’ season teetering on the edge of extinction, it’s been the guy they call The Lyon King that has played the part of savior.

Lyon was called into action after starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky fell under the weather with a non-COVID illness.

During the four games since, Lyon is a perfect 4-0-0. He’s stopped 116 of the 121 shots he’s faced and earned his first NHL shutout.

He’ll be back in Florida’s net on Thursday night when the Panthers host the Ottawa Senators.

After that, though, things are up in the air.

Bobrovsky has been skating all week and appears ready to return after getting in a good, hard workout on Thursday morning.

But what about Lyon?

His stellar play during Bob’s absence has been what saved the Panthers season, at least to this point.

THN asked Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice if he’s thought about how he’ll handle the goaltenders once Bobrovsky is good to go.

“I've made the decision not to think about it because it's almost, and I understand the question, it’s a smart question, but it's a useless exercise for me because the decision is going to be in vain in the environment that I'm in right now,” Maurice said.

It's a tough situation because you’ve got a guy in Lyon who, overall, is probably not at the level of Bobrovsky on the whole.

Recently, though, it’s clear that one goaltender has outplayed the other.

Before getting sick, Bobrovsky had been struggling mightily.

Despite carrying a decent 3-3-1 record over his past seven starts, he’d given up four or more goals in five of those games. His save percentage during that span was an unimpressive .870.

Lyon, meanwhile, has a save percentage of .958 during his four-game winning streak.

This could all become moot after Thursday’s game.

If Lyon struggles against Ottawa, it will be much easier for Maurice to plug Bobrovsky back into the starter’s crease.

Should Lyon continue his remarkable run, Maurice will have a big decision to make.

“We'll wait until Bob is healthy and we'll see where Alex is at that time and make the call when we get there,” Maurice said. “But I will not disrespect the play that Alex Lyon has shown. He’s playing really well.”