Buffalo Sabres Alex Lyon Roars In The Playoffs

Who Is Alex Lyon?

Goalie Alex Lyon’s journey of resilience and perseverance had a starting point and only continued over time.

Lyon found his way into the NHL in 2016 as an undrafted free agent. From there, he signed with the Philadelphia Flyers. Having ended his junior year at Yale, setting school records such as a .931 save percentage, he continued to find his place in the NHL.

From the start, he fluctuated between the AHL and NHL, with teams like the Chicago Wolves. He bounced around the league with various contracts, often signing one-year, two-way contracts.

The one-year contracts turned a few heads, making people wonder if he could only succeed in the AHL. However, during the Florida Panthers’ 2022-23 season, Lyon, with his .934 save percentage, contributed to their playoff push into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

When his contracts expired, he wasn’t resigned because he was either still developing or there was already too much talent with the goalies on the team.

Acquired by the Detroit Red Wings, Lyon flipped the narrative when he was signed under the guise of a third-string goalie. He climbed up the ranks and became a starter for them in 43 games during the 2023-24 season.

Was It All Worth It

One could think that signing these one-year, two-way contracts and jumping from team to team would be taxing for him. He was traded three consecutive years, from 2021 to 2023. That isn’t considered normal in NHL standards. No wonder it turned heads.

Granted, it’s the norm for players starting in the league to develop in the AHL. That could have been enough for Lyon’s growth, especially having played in the AHL for a total of seven years.

Supposedly, that’s what it took for him to get to the point of signing a two-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings. That was a small upgrade from the one-year contracts.

Unfortunately, players could work hard for so many years, and sometimes their efforts aren’t recognized unless they’ve been with a team for some time.  

Lyon stands out even more because of this, further proving the perseverance and resilience he’s developed over the years.

He hasn’t been on a team long enough to have a rooted impact. Sure, it’s a difficult decision to make when trading players, and there are different aspects. However, if a team really wanted him to stick around, they would be willing to do what it took to make that happen.

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

Lyon waited for the right opportunity. When the Buffalo Sabres acquired him in July 2025, little did he know he would be helping them break a 14-season long playoff drought. His perfect opportunity.

As the season progressed, he served as backup for the Sabres’ starting goalie, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. From there in December, the rotation between Luukkonen and Lyon was put into practice and lasted until the end of the Sabres regular season.

Lyon continued setting records and streaks playing for the Sabres. In late January, he had the third highest save percentage in the NHL with .945. He even broke a franchise record with his 10^th consecutive win.

What makes him so different than goalies from the Sabres past is that Lyon came at a time of desperation.

Granted, the Sabres had many great ones like Ryan Miller and Dominik Hašek, for example, who played for the Sabres during a time when they were well established, for the most part.

Lyon helped in another team’s playoff push, only this time, he became a prominent part of the Sabres’ playoffs. He has started in four consecutive games in the first round of the Boston Bruins and Sabres series, having only tacked on one loss.

The Lyon King

Lyon’s presence on and off the ice goes to show his high hockey IQ. Like any other goalie, he’s focused on the puck throughout the game.

However, he remains collected regardless of the circumstances of the game. He never acts irrationally, making risky dives or jumps. It is always intentional.

After Game 4, the media asked Lyon about his reaction to Nikita Zadorov’s cross-check on Sabres’ captain Rasmus Dahlin.

“I didn’t see it at all,” Lyon said. “I didn’t see it or hear it; I have no idea what happened, to be honest.”

Goalies are usually focused on playing the game, occasionally getting invested. The cross-check example goes to show how calm and collected Lyon is, regardless of circumstances.

When interviewed during post-games, he articulates the results of the game from his perspective and never forces his veteran views on what the team did wrong.

He has an “all in this together” mindset. The veteran mentality just comes out in a fluid way of how he describes the events of the game.

The mindset he has is exactly what the Sabres need during the playoffs. The Sabres are collected and adaptive to the toughness that comes with the territory, but having Lyon to fall back on really helps.

The same can be said for the other two goalies the team has, Colten Ellis and Luukkonen. Granted, Luukkonen works the closest with Lyon, the Finnish goalie could be taking notes from Lyon when he’s their backup.

End Of Alex Lyon Rant

Even though Sabres fans only see the part of Lyon’s career, it’s amazing seeing how resilience and perseverance paid off for him and continue to. Lyon is no different than the Sabres, both were holding out for an opportunity, but still put in the work leading up to it.