This is the 2025-26 edition — an archived read. Read the 2026-27 report →
Alex Lyon
Buffalo Sabres Goaltender
An .8965 in 30 games at 32, brought in to make sure the club has a second goaltender it can play.
| Season | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | GA | GAA | SO | SA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | PHI | 11 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 2.75 | 0 | 232 | .905 |
| 2018-19 | PHI | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 5.08 | 0 | 31 | .806 |
| 2019-20 | PHI | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3.55 | 0 | 73 | .890 |
| 2020-21 | PHI | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 3.33 | 0 | 169 | .893 |
| 2021-22 | CAR | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2.93 | 0 | 65 | .908 |
| 2022-23 | FLA | 15 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 43 | 2.89 | 1 | 488 | .912 |
| 2023-24 | DET | 44 | 21 | 18 | 5 | 127 | 3.05 | 2 | 1325 | .904 |
| 2024-25 | DET | 30 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 73 | 2.81 | 1 | 705 | .896 |
| 2025-26 so far | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Career | — | 113 | 51 | 38 | 11 | 303 | 2.99 | 4 | 3088 | .902 |
This Season So Far
The 2025-26 season has not started. The empty row above is his, and both it and this paragraph fill in on their own from the morning after he first plays: what he has done, what it is worth against his own last season, and the run he is on when the two disagree.
Last Season
14-9-1 in 30 games, .8965 with a 2.81 average and 1 shutout on 705 shots with Detroit.
An .8965 is a below-average number and it was better than either goaltender Buffalo used. That is the reason he was signed.
The Physical Game
6-1 and 199, which is small for the modern position, and the game compensates with aggression rather than technique — he challenges further out than most, cuts down angles, and lives with the consequences on a lateral play.
The rebound control is adequate and the recovery is quick. He is at his best in a run of games where he can find rhythm, and at his worst cold.
The Mental Game
Undrafted, ten years of being told he was a minor-league goaltender, and a playoff run in Florida that made him briefly famous. He does not appear to be affected by anything.
The most reliable thing about him is that a bad night does not become a bad month, which is the actual skill required of a backup.
The Intangibles
At 32, on a cheap deal, doing the job he is suited to.
Buffalo’s goaltending was 26th in the league and the club’s answer was a backup who has never had a save percentage above .910 in a full season. That is a modest answer to a large problem, and it is not clear the organisation has another one.