Alex Lyon, a master of ‘tough spots,’ is ready to help Panthers if Sergei Bobrovsky’s out
Ask Alex Lyon what the toughest situation he has ever been thrust into as an NHL goaltender and it’s not hard for him to think of one. There’s no shortage of options for the newest Florida Panther to choose from.
He barely needs to go back a year — and just back to his last NHL start — to come up with a good one: It was only a few weeks after Christmas and his Carolina Hurricanes were still dealing a team-wide outbreak of COVID-19 forcing him to hop on a flight to Fort Lauderdale and suit up against the Panthers, who would go on to win the Presidents’ Trophy, with only about 24 hours of notice.
“I take a lot of pride in being able to be put in tough spots,” the goaltender said Thursday in Canada.
It made Thursday, he insisted, easy for him, even when it could’ve been a brutal situation for most goalies. For the fifth straight game, Lyon was star goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky’s backup and then, just 2:01 into a game against the Montreal Canadiens, he was finally out on the ice for the first time this year, with Bobrovsky hurt and the Montreal Canadiens about to start a power play.
It didn’t matter to Lyon, who rejoined the team Jan. 10 after fellow goaltender Spencer Knight landed on injured reserve. He has seen worse and he handled the moment with aplomb. Lyon made one sprawling save to his right and kept the Canadiens off the board until the third period. By then, Florida (22-20-5) was up big and cruising to a 6-2 win in Montreal to close out a three-game road trip.
As the Panthers return home to Sunrise face the Minnesota Wild at 6 p.m. on Saturday at FLA Live Arena, Bobrovsky’s status is in question, which means Lyon could be poised to make his first start in more than a year against a tough playoff opponent.
Lyon did enough in his Florida debut to give his Panthers confidence in the seldom-used reserve should Bobrovsky, who will undergo further testing on a lower-body injury Friday, be unable to go.
“It’s impressive,” left wing Ryan Lomberg said Thursday. “Obviously somebody in that position, they kind of always have to be ready, and it’s a testament to the work he puts in day in and day out.”
In some ways, the situation was pretty favorable for a backup. Lyon, having just taken part in pregame warm-ups, was fresh and almost could take the ice as if it were a start, with the Canadiens still yet to put a shot on goal. He got quick work, too, and immediately swung some momentum in Florida’s favor by denying both of Montreal’s shots on its power play, quieting the Bell Centre at a time when the moment could’ve been overwhelming.
From there, the Panthers outshot the Canadiens, 33-14, and built a 5-0 lead before Montreal finally cracked Lyon.
“You give them any reason, it gets loud and they get the energy, so that save was incredible for us,” Lyon said. “It just kept it quiet enough and let us build.”
If Lyon is forced to start against the Wild (25-15-4) this weekend, Florida will ideally ask him to just do something similar to what he did in Quebec.
The Panthers are playing better in the last few weeks, with wins in 6 of 9 and points in four straight games, and have started to make life easier on their goalies by averaging 3.8 goals per game in their last nine after they began this stretch averaging just 3.3. If Florida can keep it up, Lyon, who was previously called up last month without appearing in a game, won’t have to be perfect if he’s pressed into action again.
Whatever the challenge is, it won’t be too daunting for Lyon. A career like his — back and forth between the NHL and American Hockey League, with just 25 NHL appearances across six season with three different teams — is built around being ready for whatever, whether it means a relief appearance at a moment’s notice or meaningful starts in the middle of a postseason push.
“There’s obviously a lot of things that go along with it, in terms of contributing to the team and building credibility with the team, but, that being said, my approach remains the same. I just feel like there’s a reason why I excel in these situations,” he said. “That’s kind of my role in the organization and kind of where I’ve carved out my career.”
