Here comes a Lion roaring into the Wells Fargo Center, as Alex Lyon stomped the Pittsburgh Penguins last night, a game in which it was his sixth career NHL victory, “It just gives me a lot of confidence that, yes, if I just do the things that I know I can do, I can play here,” Alex Lyon said following the game last night. “It’s good obviously. We were great in the first period. I think we had 19 shots. You can’t count on that every night. I think we’ve been playing a pretty good game. The last few games I’ve felt like I could have come up with a stop or two early on. Scoring early is one thing, but I think making big saves, just from my perspective, that’s also extremely important. That’s really the only thing I can worry about.”
Lyon won’t kill you with his stats, but he plays a simple game and he looks to be in position to make tough save after tough save, hence registering a 2.00 GAA to go along with a .946 Save Percentage against the Penguins this season, “I think tonight was really the first game that I felt like a hockey player,” Lyon said postgame. “I felt good. It takes a little bit of time to find that rhythm and find that groove. I felt tonight I found a really good recipe for success. Even more than the win, I’m just personally happy. You just go through some negative thoughts like ‘am I ever going to win a game again?’ and stuff like that. It’s really nice. I’ve been just trying to trust myself and trust my game. Tonight I felt like everything really came together. Just happy to move forward with that in mind.”
Definitely a save of the year candidate!!! Holy Moly Lyon
It has been a weird season for Lyon. He has mainly been on the Taxi Squad roster for the Flyers, but he has seen some game action here as of late too, whether it be with the big club or the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Lyon is currently backing up Brian Elliott, as Carter Hart is on the shelf for the rest of the season. However, this is a chance of a lifetime for Lyon, as he is trying to impress the Flyers top brass that he is worthy of backing up Hart next season, presumably if indeed Elliott retires.
The 28-year-old netminder in Lyon is not flashy, but Lyon gets the job done, and he remains a true professional in the process as he has helped Nolan Patrick this season, “Nolan is an amazing player,” Alex Lyon said earlier in the season, “He’s got so much talent, it’s insane. It’s always cool to be around him. Just witness his skill, like I’m impressed with G, Coots, and Jake you go down list. The number two overall player, it’s great.”
Whatever the case may be for Lyon moving forward. This was a story book game that could not have been scripted any better for him. This was arguably one of his best games in the NHL, and it came against a red-hot Penguins team that appears to be ready for the playoffs. If Lyon continues to impress, maybe just maybe he will earn that backup role with the Flyers after all next season.
