Reports are confirming that Brian Elliott had suffered a lower body injury in the shootout win against Arizona Saturday night. With Elliott having dealt with a nagging groin injury recently, it’s a safe assumption that the same issue has flared up once again, and this time, it might be for awhile.
Reports also have confirmed that the Flyers recalled Lehigh Valley starting goaltender Alex Lyon from the AHL, and it looks like he may be with the team for an extended period of time. If that is the case, he can consider these next couple of week his time to shine and prove to Ron Hextall that he is capable of performing at the NHL level.
His first stint in the NHL this season was far from stellar. He came in against Washington late in the game on the 31st of January and went five for five in saves and looked pretty good. His first start came the very next night against a tough New Jersey team, and things didn’t go well. He went 18 for 22, letting up four goals, most of which went through the coveted five hole. He then played forty minutes of the Ottawa game two nights later, and went 20 of 23, which was better than the outing against the Devil, but still nothing special.
Overall, his NHL stats this year are officially no wins, one loss, a .860 save percentage and a 3.93 goals against average. Redeeming himself may be a more daunting task than anticipated. If Lyon looks to redeem himself and post better numbers, he has to do so against the likes of Vegas, New Jersey, Columbus twice, the Rangers, Montreal twice, and Ottawa. That’s only February. If Elliott is out for longer than just this month, he looks to face teams like Carolina twice, Pittsburgh twice, Tampa Bay, Vegas again, and that’s not even half the teams they face in the month of March.
The point being, that Alex Lyon is being thrown to the wolves. Or lions. Whatever suits your punny needs. Given, he may only see a handful of games in Neuvirth doesn’t completely “bleep” the bed, but on the off chance that he takes the reigns, he is going to be facing some stiff competition.
Facing off against teams like the Vegas Golden Knights and Tampa Bay Lightning isn’t exactly the welcoming committee that one would be chomping at the bit to face. However, what better way to prove your worth than by coming out and beating the league’s top competition? Alex Lyon could potentially be facing the cream of the crop, and if he can tame those teams, he could see his role with the Flyers expand, and end up becoming a mainstay with the big league club.
Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
