Sabres’ Alex Lyon is ‘a little bit of a psycho.’ And he’s changed Buffalo’s Round 1 series
Lyon started Games 3 and 4 for the Sabres in Boston and helped them win both to put Buffalo up 3-1.
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Alex Lyon started Games 3 and 4 for the Sabres in Boston and helped them win both. Maddie Meyer / Getty Images
When Alex Lyon made his first appearance in the Buffalo Sabres’ series against the Boston Bruins in the third period of Game 2, he wasted no time getting involved. The Sabres were losing 4-0, but Lyon jumped into the crease with the competitiveness his teammates have come to expect.
A few minutes after Lyon replaced Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the crease, the 33-year-old was talking trash with Bruins fourth-liner Tanner Jeannot. He was caught on camera telling Jeannot, one of Boston’s tougher players, to “shut the f— up.”
“I was on the ice, and I was in the corner,” Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson said. “I caught the tail end of it, and I was like, ‘What is going on?’”
Lyon acknowledged that he probably occasionally annoys his teammates with how often he’s yapping at the opponents and causing conflict, but it’s how he plays the game. He respects the opponent but plays goalie, thinking about competing first.
“You don’t ever want to back down from the moment,” Lyon said. “And the older I get, the more I really enjoy those moments, and that’s kind of what gets you stimulated, so I really enjoy that.”
Whatever works. After stopping all seven shots he faced in that relief appearance in Game 2, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff started Lyon in Game 3. Lyon ended up playing the two games for the Sabres in Boston and helped them win both. He stopped 24 of 25 shots in a 3-1 win in Game 3 and then 23 of 24 shots in a 6-1 blowout win in Game 4. Luukkonen had earned the net for the start of the playoffs with the way he finished the regular season, but Lyon, who returned from injury just before the playoffs started, was ready to give the Sabres a spark.
According to MoneyPuck, Lyon is fifth in the league in goals saved above expected in the playoffs. The Bruins came into the series with a goaltending advantage. Jeremy Swayman was one of the best goalies in the NHL during the regular season, and he was rock solid early in this series. But the Sabres chased him from Game 4 by beating him for six goals. Swayman is now 16th out of 20 goalies in goals saved above expected this postseason, according to MoneyPuck.
Lyon has not only narrowed the gap on whatever goalie advantage the Bruins had, but he’s added a spark to the Sabres with his constant chatter on and off the ice.
“It drives him, and I think it drives us a little bit to see how competitive he is,” Sabres forward Josh Doan said. “He’s not going to back down to anyone. That’s something that I think has been cool. We’ve seen it throughout the year a lot. I don’t know if it got a ton of attention because it’s the regular season. But if you watch closely, he’s always bickering with guys on the ice and chirping at guys. It’s been a whole year thing. It gives you a little confidence that your goalie is in there with you and wants to help with that.”
During Game 3 in Boston, a fan filmed a video of Lyon getting into it with the Bruins fans in the front row. Samuelsson knew Lyon from summer skates in the Philadelphia area. But he didn’t get to see this side of him until Lyon became his teammate this season.
“When I knew him before, it was in the summer, so I didn’t really know the fire he had,” Samuelsson said. “I’ve never really played with a goalie that chirps or does those things. It’s pretty cool to see the guy between the pipes is as fired up and on edge as everyone else. It’s fun to play in front of. Your goalie is a little bit of a psycho. It feeds energy into the group. The guy back there is battling and giving his all.”
Lyon’s energy is contagious. He chooses not to speak with the media on gamedays, but that seems to be the only time he’s not talking. He’s a go-to guy for reporters after games and on practice days because he’s always thoughtful and introspective. He’s also an avid listener of Mike Florio’s Pro Football Talk and Colin Cowherd, so he’s always game for a conversation that has nothing to do with hockey, both with teammates and reporters.
“Some goalies are weird, like you can’t even be around,” Samuelsson said. “He’s just weird like he never turns it off … He just says whatever he’s thinking.”
Even when he was handing off the Sabres’ player-of-the-game belt after the Game 4 win, he did so with his typical flair.
“Doaner!” Lyon said. “Silky f—ing tip on the backside, setting the emotional tone for the boys! Great f—ing game! Wooh!”
But there is also another valuable side to Lyon. He is a little paranoid. Lyon lives in constant fear of losing his mental edge. When the Sabres were on their torrid run late in the season, Lyon kept talking about how the team needed to be ready for the inevitable adversity the season would bring. A decade in pro hockey had trained him to maintain what he describes as a healthy fear. This is only his third full season in the NHL, so he approaches his place in the league with a different perspective.
That’s why after the Sabres boat-raced the Bruins in Game 4, Lyon’s postgame comments had a hint of that paranoia. This series is going back to Buffalo with the Sabres leading 3-1, but Lyon knows that the fourth win to close out the series will be the hardest one to get. He was already thinking about Tuesday before he had showered and left TD Garden.
But between now and the 7:30 p.m. puck drop on Tuesday, you can bet Lyon will be talking.
“He’s a character,” Ruff said.