Meltzer's Player Profiles: Alex Lyon

In his fourth pro year since the Flyers signed him out of Yale University, 27-year-old goaltender Alex Lyon enjoyed a fully healthy season in 2019-20. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound netminder appeared in 32 American Hockey League games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season and three NHL games for the Flyers.

Even before this season, Lyon was well-established as a bonafide AHL starter. He was especially good during the Phantoms' run to the Eastern Conference Final during the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs (1.98 GAA, .944 SV%, winning goalie in an epic five-overtime game against Charlotte). On an annual basis, he has posted save percentages between .913 and .916.

This season, Lyon split starting duties in tandem with the since-traded J-F Berube. Over the course of a season in which the team fell far short of expectations, Lyon posted a 2.69 goals against average and .912 save percentage against a record of 11-14-5.

When Carter Hart went down in late January with a strained abdominal muscle, the Flyers recalled Lyon. He performed adequately in a Jan. 16 loss to Montreal that was a rare home-ice clunker for the Flyers this season. Lyon stopped 36 of 40 shots in that game.

On Feb. 1, Alain Vigneault tabbed Lyon to start a home game against the Colorado Avalanche; one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Lyon delivered a 28-save performance behind a team that entered the game at a significant fatigue factor disadvantage. The Flyers won, 6-3. Afterwards, Vigneault identified Lyon's play as the "difference in this game."

Shortly after Lyon made a relief appearance against New Jersey on Feb. 6, Hart was cleared to return to play. Lyon returned to the Phantoms. If and when the paused 2019-20 NHL season is completed, rosters will expand. With the AHL season having been canceled, every NHL team will have to carry a third goaltender in the event of injury. At that point, Lyon would be the clear-cut frontrunner for the Flyers third goalie spot.

Lyon is a cerebral hockey player, both on an off the ice. During the NHL pause, Lyon has undertaken a self-designed and goalie-specific training regimen to be ready if and when the call comes to re-join the Flyers roster. After the current season, Lyon will become an unrestricted free agent.

FIVE KEY FACTS

1) Lyon's win against Colorado was the fifth victory of his NHL career and the first since March 22, 2018 (at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers). Overall, he has appeared in 16 NHL games, with 10 starts. He has a 5-4-1 record, 3.15 GAA and .893 save percentage in his games with the Flyers.

2) At the AHL level, Lyon has often played his best hockey down the stretch. Despite going 1-1-2 over his last four starts for the Phantoms prior to the AHL pause and eventual cancelation, Lyon played quite well in three of the four games, especially a 33-save effort in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins on Feb. 11.

3) At the AHL level this season, Lyon has made 30 or more saves in 13 of his starts, including a 37-save whitewashing of the Laval Titan at the PPL Center on January 11.

4) Lyon earned international attention across the hockey world when he made 94 saves, including 79 in a row, in the Phantoms' 2-1 victory on May 9-10, 2018. The game started at 7:03 p.m. ET on May 9 and ended at 1:09 a.m. the next morning.

5) Lyon's lengthiest service in the NHL came during the 2017-18 season when he made seven starts and four relief appearances for the Flyers (7-4-2, 2.75 GAA, .905 SV%).

TOP HIGHLIGHTS

1) Jan. 11 vs. Laval: In a game that was scoreless until late in the second period, Lyon turned back all 37 shots he faced as the Phantoms went on to defeat the Laval Titan, 2-0. Lehigh Valley successfully killed five penalties, largely thanks to Lyon. After the Phantoms were outshot by a 9-3 margin in the first period, their netminder turned back 28 shots over the final 40 minutes of play (including 15 saves in the third period alone).

2) Feb. 1 vs. COL: Lyon was excellent in goal for the Flyers in a 6-3 win over the Avalanche, stopping 28 of 31 shots.He had little chance on any of the shots that went in, and was severely tested multiple times. Lyon outplayed, Philipp Grubauer, who stopped 22 of 27 shots.

THEY SAID IT

"There's no doubt that the difference in this game [against Colorado] is Alex. We had a hard time defending and we had a hard time making plays with the puck in the first period and he kept us in. just shows the importance of goaltending, he made some big saves at the beginning of the game when we made that bad read and gave that 2 on 1, he made a great save which I think gave him confidence but also should've given us confidence right away but we let him make 6 or 7 big saves to really get our confidence going."

-- Alain Vigneault, Feb. 1, 2020

HE SAID IT

"It's extremely personally gratifying.I think it's such a mental battle. The physical side of the game is not the challenging aspect for a goalie coming from the American League to the NHL. It's the mental side, but it's on each man. If somebody doesn't have confidence, everybody knows it's no secret. I try to just execute confidence and have belief in myself. I've done it a million times, done it in a million different games. It's easy here. We've got a really good group of guys."

-- Alex Lyon, Feb. 1, 2020