Alex Lyon Proving to Be Reliable Option for Flyers

(Kate Frese/SB Nation)

By Jeff Quake, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 

Alex Lyon couldn’t have imagined what the path he chose would lead him to when he first played goalie at Yale University. Lyon only played for three years at Yale, but in the years he attended the Ivy League school, the now 25-year-old from Baudette, Mn. posted some impressive numbers between the pipes.

At first, there were signs of struggle from Lyon, who was considered one of the top goalie prospects for the Flyers. Turn the clock forward one month and now Lyon has been a pretty reliable goalie for the Orange and Black whether as the starter or backup.

Back to Lyon's days at Yale, during the 2013-14 season, he started in 30 games and had a record of 14-11-5 with a 2.41 GAA along with a .918 save percentage. The following season, his numbers got better with two more starts — a record of 17-10-5, a GAA that heavily dropped down to 1.62 and a .939 save percentage. His final season at Yale was extremely similar with 31 starts, a 19-8-4 record, 1.64 GAA and a .912 save percentage.

His impressive collegiate campaign came to an end as he then signed a contract with the Flyers and started his professional career in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. This was probably the perfect scenario for Lyon and the Flyers because goalies take the longest time to develop in hockey.

He got the perfect amount of experience in his first pro season alone, as he started in 52 games and had a strong rookie outing with a 27-14 record. By the end of the regular season, he had a 2.74 GAA and a .912 save percentage. This season, Lyon has seen a good amount of action in the minors before being called up to Philadelphia. Lyon made his NHL debut against the Washington Capitals on Jan. 31, then got his first NHL start the following night against the New Jersey Devils.

Head coach Dave Hakstol has picked Petr Mrazek over Lyon for several games, which is expected after both Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth went down with injuries and GM Ron Hextall orchestrated a trade for the veteran netminder. However, Mrazek has been on and off his game as of late with a 5-5-1 record and a 3.27 GAA since the trade. In Lyon’s last six appearances, he has a record of 3-1-1 posting a GAA of 1.87 and a save percentage of .933.

The Flyers have eight games remaining on the schedule in the regular season, which concludes on April 7. Whether Elliott or Neuvirth are able to return could mean the end of Lyon's NHL season, but one thing is certain. The Flyers have a goalie they can trust in Lyon to keep things moving and steady in goal, even with such little NHL experience, and the Flyers future in goal remains bright.