Alex Lyon performed at a high rate, but the Philadelphia Flyers fall to the Washington Capitals in overtime, 2-1.
“Almost” only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Against the Washington Capitals, Alex Lyon almost earned his first shutout in the NHL. After two scoreless periods, the Philadelphia Flyers won the race to the scoreboard.
Scott Laughton has scored the majority of his goals against the Capitals this season. Last night, his fifth against Washington of his nine total goals gave the Flyers a third-period lead. Lyon kept making huge saves as the time in regulation dwindled. With forty seconds remaining, Lars Eller tied the game, 1-1.
Philadelphia played so well, but Eller wouldn’t allow them to get away with another regulation victory. He made sure Lyon would have to battle in overtime.
Speaking of players with favorable matchups, Conor Sheary struck again against the Flyers. One more time, with less than a minute remaining, the Capitals scored. This time, Sheary secured the victory as he gained a step on James van Riemsdyk in the slot. In close, Sheary snuck the puck through under Lyon. Washington won in overtime, 2-1.
Without many lethal scorers and down to their third goaltender, the Capitals continued their season success against Philadelphia.
Lyon Pride
Throughout this season, Alex Lyon has improved as he continued to earn starts. Earlier this season, Lyon allowed five goals against Washington. Tonight, though the Capitals missed critical scorers, he fought into overtime, allowing two total goals.
Owning a 1-3-1 record this season, Lyon nearly improved his numbers. Regardless of tonight’s result, he stabilized his play at the NHL level with a solid performance. Lately, Lyon could compete for a backup role next season. He played for a win but couldn’t capture the result he wanted.
“Just super frustrating. As good as you play, you let a goal up with forty seconds left, then in overtime.”
Alex Lyon; 5/8/21
Scott Laughton praised Lyon for his play tonight, allowing the Philadelphia Flyers to win.
“He played a real good game in front of us.”
Scott Laughton; 5/8/21
Last night, the Flyers played liked professionals in a loss. All season long, Washington continued to score a high amount of goals per game against Philadelphia. Heading into tonight, they were scoring above four goals per game on average against the Flyers. The penalty kill held their own, and Philadelphia met the Capitals’ pace. In the end, Washington just made two more plays.
Growing pains are a part of the game when young, unestablished players are are the forefront. As the season comes to a close with one game remaining, this quality performance from Lyon is a silver lining worth pointing out.
Photo Credit: Alex Mcintyre
