Sabres' Alex Lyon: Gets little help in Game 3 loss
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Lyon stopped 31 of 36 shots in Sunday's 6-2 loss to the Canadiens in Game 3. Montreal's final goal was scored into an empty net.
The veteran netminder came up with some big saves, but defensive breakdowns by Buffalo once again led to plenty of open looks and second chances for Montreal. Lyon has now given up nine goals on 63 shots over the last two games, both losses, and while he isn't fully at fault for those results, head coach Lindy Ruff may have to consider a switch in the crease for Game 4 on Tuesday.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: Starting in Montreal
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Lyon will be between the road pipes in Game 3 against the Canadiens on Sunday, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.
Lyon has given up six goals on 55 shots (.891 save percentage) through the first two games of this second-round series. The Minnesota native had his worst outing of the postseason Friday, surrendering four goals on 27 shots in a 5-1 loss in Game 2. If Lyon and the Sabres drop Game 3, it's a possibility head coach Lindy Ruff turns back to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in goal to shake things up.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: Shaky effort in Game 2 loss
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Lyon stopped 23 of 27 shots Friday in the Sabres' 5-1 loss to the Canadiens in Game 2 of their second-round series, with Montreal's final goal getting scored into an empty net.
The 33-year-old goaltender faced several scoring chances due to careless defensive mistakes, but he also wasn't at his best in the contest. Lyon would probably like another crack at Mike Matheson's game-winner early in the first period, which was a long-range shot into the top corner. It was the first time this postseason that Lyon surrendered more than two goals in a contest, but it shouldn't cost him his starting job ahead of Game 3 in Montreal on Sunday. Through seven outings this postseason, he has a 1.73 GAA and .934 save percentage.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: Tending twine in Game 2
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Lyon will protect the home goal versus the Canadiens in Game 2 on Friday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.
Lyon continued his strong play by stopping 26 of 28 shots to win the series opener. He hasn't allowed more than two goals in any of his five starts this postseason, a trend he'll look to keep going as the Sabres try to claim a 2-0 series lead.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: Sharp in Game 1 win
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Lyon stopped 26 shots Wednesday in the Sabres' 4-2 win over the Canadiens in Game 1 of their second-round series.
Buffalo never trailed in the contest, as Lyon allowed goals late in the first and second periods after his team had already struck twice in each frame. The veteran netminder has won four of five starts since taking over in the crease for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, posting an eye-popping 1.36 GAA and .947 save percentage over that stretch heading into Game 2 on Friday.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: Between pipes Wednesday
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Lyon will guard the home goal versus the Canadiens in Game 1 on Wednesday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.
Lyon went 3-1 over the last four games of the Sabres' 4-2 series win over the Bruins in the first round. He allowed just five goals in that span. Lyon is now the Sabres' No. 1 goalie, though the team could pivot back to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen if Lyon struggles at any point.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: Starting Game 5
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Lyon will start Tuesday's Game 5 at home against the Bruins, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports.
Lyon has picked up wins in each of his last two starts, posting a 1.00 GAA and .959 save percentage during that time. He'll draw a third consecutive start Tuesday as the Sabres attempt to close out the first-round series.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: Sharp in Sunday's win
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Lyon made 23 saves Sunday during the Sabres' 6-1 win over the Bruins in Game 4 of their first-round series.
The veteran netminder nearly had a shutout, but Sean Kuraly managed to score a shorthanded tally with 40 seconds left in the third period after Buffalo had taken its foot off the gas. Lyon has seized the top job in the crease since replacing Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in Game 2, allowing just two goals on 56 shots over the last two-plus contests for a .964 save percentage. Lyon will look to help the Sabres book their tickets to the second round on home ice Tuesday in Game 5.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: Earns Game 4 nod
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Lyon led the Sabres out for warmups Sunday and will get another start in goal for Game 4 against the Bruins, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.
After coming on in relief of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the third period of Game 2 and looking sharp in Game 3, Lyon earned himself another start in net for Game 4. The 33-year-old Lyon has stopped 31 of 32 shots in nearly four periods of postseason play, a big improvement after allowing 13 goals over his last three starts in the regular season.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: Sharp in Game 3 start
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Lyon made 24 saves Thursday during the Sabres' 3-1 win over the Bruins in Game 3 of their first-round series.
A Tanner Jeannot tally early in the second period spoiled his shutout bid, but Lyon still delivered a strong performance in his first start of the postseason, including a denial on a Viktor Arvidsson penalty shot while the Sabres were still down 1-0. The 33-year-old netminder appears to be coach Lindy Ruff's top choice between the pipes after Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen gave up seven goals on 40 shots (.825 save percentage) over the first two games of the series, positioning Lyon to get the nod again in Game 4 on Sunday.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: Perfect in relief Tuesday
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Lyon turned aside all seven shots he faced after replacing Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen early in the third period Tuesday during the Sabres' 4-2 loss to the Bruins in Game 2 of their first-round series.
Luukkonen has looked shaky through the first two games of the series, coughing up seven goals on only 40 shots, so Lyon's strong play late Tuesday -- even if it did come after the game was all but out of reach -- will give coach Lindy Ruff something to think about heading into Game 3 on Thursday. The 33-year-old Lyon hasn't started a game since April 4 and hasn't won one since March 19, however. He finished the regular season with a 2.77 GAA and .906 save percentage over 36 outings.
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Sabres' Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: Secures Game 1 win
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Luukkonen allowed three goals on 20 shots in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Bruins in Game 1.
It wasn't looking good for the Sabres for much of the game, but they rallied for four goals in a span of 6:46 during the third period. That gave them just enough of a cushion to weather a late comeback attempt by the Bruins. While it was far from a pretty outing, Luukkonen was able to get the win in his playoff debut. He had a good regular season with a 22-9-3 record, a 2.51 GAA and a .909 save percentage over 35 appearances. Luukkonen is set to be the Sabres' No. 1 goalie to start the postseason, though any struggles could open the door for Alex Lyon to get some game action. The Sabres host Game 2 on Tuesday.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: Won't be ready for playoffs
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Lyon (lower body) will not be an option for Game 1 of the postseason, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports Wednesday.
Lyon is reportedly on track to return at some point during the first-round series, though head coach Lindy Ruff didn't offer a specific recovery timeline. Once Lyon receives the all-clear, he will likely face an uphill battle to unseat Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as Buffalo's starter.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: Might miss start of playoffs
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Lyon (lower body) is likely to be out for about a week, per Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.
Lyon left Wednesday's morning skate after tweaking something. He has a 20-10-4 record, 2.77 GAA and .906 save percentage in 36 outings in 2025-26. It's not clear if he'll be ready for the start of the playoffs. Colten Ellis is expected to start at home against Columbus on Thursday, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will serve as the understudy. However, if Lyon isn't ready for the start of the playoffs, then Ellis is likely to serve as the No. 2 option in Game 1, while Luukkonen will probably play between the pipes.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: Battling lower-body injury
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Lyon left Wednesday's morning skate due to a lower-body issue, per Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic.
Head coach Lindy Ruff described Lyon's injury as a tweak, meaning it could be a short-term issue. Ruff also said that Lyon wasn't going to dress against the Rangers on Wednesday anyway, so his injury won't impact Buffalo's plans. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is expected to start, while Colten Ellis will be the understudy.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: Gets hook Saturday
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Lyon allowed three goals on five shots in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Capitals.
Lyon struggled in Saturday's contest, allowing two goals across 20 seconds early in the first period before surrendering a third just over two minutes later. He picked up the loss and ultimately pulled in favor of Colten Ellis. The 33-year-old Lyon now has a 20-10-4 record, a 2.77 GAA and a .906 save percentage across 36 outings this season. After posting a six-game win streak to resume play following the Olympic break, Lyon has struggled over his last three outings, going 0-2-1 with a 6.24 GAA and a .772 save percentage across three outings. His next chance to get back on track before the playoffs is Monday against the Lightning.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: Between pipes in Anaheim
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Lyon will tend the road twine Sunday versus the Ducks, according to Ducks PA Announcer Phil Hulett.
Lyon will start in the second half of a back-to-back after Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen played in Saturday's 4-1 win in Los Angeles. Lyon is 20-8-3 with three shutouts, a 2.54 GAA and a .914 save percentage over 33 appearances in 2025-26. The Ducks are coming off a 4-1 win over Utah on Friday and are 22-10-2 on home ice this season.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: Logs shutout for sixth straight win
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Lyon posted a 23-save shutout in Thursday's 5-0 win over the Sharks.
This was Lyon's sixth straight win, a span in which he's allowed just 11 goals. The 33-year-old got plenty of support from his teammates in this contest as well, which was his third shutout of the campaign. He's up to 20-8-3 with a 2.54 GAA and a .914 save percentage over 33 appearances this season. He's one win shy of matching his career-best total from the 2023-24 campaign when he was with the Red Wings. Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen continue to alternate starts, which lines up Luukkonen for Saturday in Los Angeles and Lyon for Sunday in Anaheim.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: In goal Saturday
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Lyon will guard the home goal against Toronto on Saturday, per Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550.
Lyon has gone 18-8-3 with a pair of shutouts, a 2.65 GAA and a .913 save percentage across 31 appearances this season. The Maple Leafs will be missing their star center Auston Matthews, who is gone for the remainder of the season with a knee injury. Toronto is averaging 3.15 goals per game this season, good for 15th in the NHL.
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Sabres' Alex Lyon: Tending twine Tuesday
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Lyon will protect the home net against San Jose on Tuesday, Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News reports.
Lyon has stopped 77 of the 83 shots he has faced during his three-game winning streak. He has been splitting starts with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen lately. Lyon has a 17-8-3 record this campaign with two shutouts, a 2.64 GAA and a .914 save percentage through 30 appearances. San Jose sits 18th in the league with 3.07 goals per game this season.
