Alex Lyon, aka “Lyon King,” has emerged as a surprise folk hero for the Panthers during a six-game winning streak that has potentially saved their season. Thanks in large part to Lyon, Florida (42-31-7) heads into its home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, Hulu, SNO, SNP, TVAS, SN NOW) in control of its destiny in the Eastern Conference wild card race.
Tied with the New York Islanders for the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the East, and one point ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Panthers can clinch a playoff berth for the fourth straight season by winning their final two games.
In fact, they can clinch Monday with a regulation or overtime victory and a regulation loss by the New York Islanders against the Washington Capitals.
“Honestly, I don’t want to think about it too much and I don’t think we can afford to think about it too much,” Lyon said. “The schedule has been crazy, but I think the guys are playing hard, and everybody is pulling the rope in the same direction, which is the most important part of winning down the stretch and in the playoffs.”
Florida’s playoff picture appeared less promising following a 5-2 loss at the Ottawa Senators on March 27 that extended its skid to four games and left it three points behind Pittsburgh for the second wild card in the East.
Then, a non-COVID illness sidelined No. 1 goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and pushed Lyon, a 30-year-old journeyman whose career has also included brief NHL stints with the Philadelphia Flyers (22 games over four seasons) and Carolina Hurricanes (two games last season) and 202 games in the American Hockey League, into the starter’s net.
Lyon gave Florida a much-needed spark by making 38 saves in a 3-2 overtime victory at Toronto on March 29 and followed with 18 saves in a 5-2 win at the Montreal Canadiens the next night. That got the ball rolling for Lyon and the Panthers.
“It’s been a great jolt of energy when he came in,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “We were struggling there for a bit and he’s kind of probably one of the main reasons why we’ve been able to turn this around right now.”
The first goalie to win six straight games during his first season with the Panthers, Lyon has stopped 194 of 203 shots during the streak for a 1.50 goals against average and .956 save percentage. His hot streak has included making 21 saves to post his first NHL shutout in a 7-0 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 1 and a 56-save performance in a 7-2 victory against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. That was one short of Florida’s franchise record of 57 saves set by Roberto Luongo in 2002.
“He’s just here having fun,” Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe said. “He goes in the net every day and it seems like he’s having a blast back there.”
Video: FLA@CBJ: Lyon blanks Blue Jackets for first shutout
The Panthers are having fun with him, including celebrating each of his victories with a song from “The Lion King.” Lyon has embraced this latest generation of the lion puns, as he has this opportunity to play in a playoff race.
“I’ve dealt with that my whole life,” Lyon said. “I shouldn’t say dealt with it. I like it, it’s funny. It’s good, it’s novel. Also, if you can’t promote your own brand, then who is going to promote your brand? Any buzz is good buzz. That’s my motto.”
Lyon acknowledged, “I’ve been waiting a long time,” for the chance he’s had the past two weeks. He’d been working towards it since his junior days with Cedar Rapids (2010-11) and Omaha (2011-2013) in the United States Hockey League through three NCAA seasons at Yale (2013-2016).
In seven pro seasons since signing with the Flyers as an undrafted free agent in 2016, he’s had AHL stops with Lehigh Valley (2016-2021), Chicago (2021-22) and Charlotte this season in addition to his limited NHL experiences with the Flyers (2017-2021), Hurricanes (2021-22) and the Panthers. His most NHL games in a season before his 13 this season was 11 with Philadelphia in 2017-18, when he was 4-2-1 with a 2.75 GAA and .905 save percentage.
After five seasons with the Flyers organization, Lyon signed a one-year contract with the Hurricanes for last season and played in two NHL games. He also helped Carolina’s AHL affiliate in Chicago win the Calder Cup by going 9-3 with a 2.03 GAA, .923 save percentage and two shutouts in 12 postseason games, an experience he said was “massive, massive, massive” in preparing him for the intensity of Florida’s ongoing playoff push.
When Lyon signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Panthers for this season, he was third on their goalie depth chart behind Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight. But Knight struggled with inconsistency while dealing with injuries and illness and was sent to Charlotte to get more playing time before entering the NHL and NHL Players’ Association player assistance program Feb. 24.
So, when Bobrovsky became ill, that left Lyon as Florida’s No. 1. He’s responded by elevating his play to a level he hadn’t previously reached in the NHL.
“I’ve never had runway like this before ever in my career,” Lyon said. “And somedays you doubt it that you can do it, but for the most part I think that I’ve kept the faith for a long time. But it’s been hard, I’m not going to lie.”
Although Lyon never gave up on his NHL dream, he credits his breakthrough to a change in approach.
“I just let go of expectations,” he said. “That has been a big factor for me. When I left Philly, I just realized that nothing is ever going to be handed to you, so you’ve got to work for it. To be honest, there’s a lot of satisfying things that can be accomplished in the American League, too.
“I think sometimes people may view it as if you’re not in the NHL, it’s not successful, but I guess I just want to hold the torch high for all those [AHL] players that are very capable of playing in the NHL given the right opportunity.”
Lyon’s NHL statistics this season before the OT win in Toronto on March 29 (3-3-1, 4.08 GAA, .881 save percentage) gave no indication his ongoing streak was coming. But Florida coach Paul Maurice noted that Lyon similarly stepped up in back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Kings (29 saves in a 4-3 loss Jan. 27) and Boston Bruins (37 saves in a 4-3 overtime win Jan. 28) when Bobrovsky was sidelined with a lower-body injury.
And he’d already won over his teammates before he helped them reel off six straight wins.
“He’s been one of those guys that it’s not just his play. It’s his personality, too,” Maurice said. “He’s got a million nicknames all based on his last name, and he’s having fun and he’s battling hard. But he was doing all this in practice and the guys started to fall in love with him because he stays out there all day, take a thousand shots, work his butt off.
“So, it’s such an important thing for a backup goalie to kind of have the team rally around him. So when he went into the net, the guys really wanted to play hard for him.”
With Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL’s top goaltender (2012-13, 2016-17), returning to health, the “Lyon King” is aware his reign as Florida’s starter might soon end, along with the postgame music in his honor. Still, with a playoff berth within reach, it appears the Panthers will continue to ride him for as long as he remains hot.
“I’m not trying to get too far ahead of myself,” Lyon said. “You can’t take the NHL for granted because when you do that, that’s when bad things happen. For me, I just have developed a very day-to-day approach to put my best foot forward every day. I’m just thankful that my energy fits in here and I can just help contribute, so that’s my focus right now.”