BUFFALO – Early Sunday, less than a day after Sabres goalie Alex Lyon tied the franchise’s all-time record for most consecutive wins, his phone rang. On the other end, Gerry Desjardins, who had owned the mark for 49 years, wanted to chat.
For about the next 20 minutes, Lyon, 33, and Desjardins, 81, talked about the craft of goaltending and the unique mentality needed to play hockey’s most demanding position.
“It was interesting that we both were such on the same page,” Lyon told the Times Herald following Monday’s practice in KeyBank Center.
Desjardins, an underrated figure in Sabres history, won nine consecutive outings in December 1976 and 31 times overall that season.
Lyon, who knew nothing about Desjardins’ career before the call, enjoyed the unexpected conversation. He found a former goalie who retired 47 years ago still talks about the position like he’s in his mid-20s.
“I’m glad that he called,” said Lyon, who could break the record Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings at KeyBank Center.
That Lyon tied a record never reached by some of the franchise’s greatest goalies – Tom Barrasso, Roger Crozier, Dominik Hasek, Ryan Miller and others – underscores what a remarkable run he has enjoyed over the last seven weeks.
Coach Lindy Ruff, whose Sabres have won four straight games and 19 of their last 23 (19-3-1) called Lyon’s record-tying run “an incredible accomplishment.”
“You run through all those different goaltenders that have been here and now, all of a sudden, he’s the one that has put together a streak like that,” he said following Wednesday’s practice.. “He’s put together a real impressive group of games for us, and a big reason why we’ve been able to win the number of games we won.”
Lyon, who signed a two-year, $3 million contract to join the Sabres this season, is only in his third full NHL campaign.
He has moved around the NHL – the Sabres are his fifth organization – often yo-yoing from the AHL to the big leagues.
“Where his career has been at coming here, nobody would’ve guessed what he’s doing right now,” Ruff said.
But Lyon has found a home with the Sabres. In the opening weeks, as goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen recovered from an injury, he quickly emerged as their backbone and MVP.
After slumping a bit and losing playing time to Luukkonen and rookie Colten Ellis, he began his torrid stretch Dec. 9, registering the first victory in the Sabres’ 10-game win streak.
Since then, Lyon has compiled a 9-0-0 mark with a 2.05 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage and one shutout.
On Dec. 29, he suffered a lower-body injury that sidelined him until Jan. 20.
The three weeks Lyon spent recovering gave him a chance to enter a bit of an offseason and work on his body and mind.
“It was nice to kind of get back into that I really have to sharpen my craft,” he said.
When he was injured early in his career, Lyon said he would almost feel sorry for himself.
“It’s hard mentally,” he said. “You’re isolated, your body feels bad, you don’t feel like you’re contributing. And now at this point in my career, I just think, ‘OK, what a great opportunity to get better. Make the best of a (lousy) situation.’ I feel pretty good, so hopefully it’s paying dividends.
Lyon has looked sharp in each of his starts since returning. In Saturday afternoon’s 5-0 road win over the New York Islanders, he posted his second shutout this season and sixth of his 136-game career.
“To get two wins right off the hop is good reaffirmation and confirmation for me that I’d doing the right things,” he said.
Now, Lyon, who has recently alternated games with Luukkonen, might have an opportunity to earn more starts.
Luukkonen suffered a lower-body injury early in Tuesday’s 7-4 road win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ruff did not have an update on the Finn following Wednesday’s practice.
Ellis replaced Luukkonen, making 16 saves in his first action since Jan. 15.
When all three goalies have been healthy, Ruff often gives Lyon or Luukkonen the night off and lets Ellis back up.
“There’s two parts to it, obviously,” Ruff said of Ellis dressing for games. “Keep him in the mix. Try to keep the other guy, with the schedule where it is, try to keep the other guy real fresh.”
Following Tuesday’s game, Ellis said “it’s really nice kind of being in the mix.”
“You get that camaraderie with everybody,” he said.
When Luukkonen went down Tuesday, Lyon said he was working out. He said he got dressed in eight minutes – it usually takes him about 20 – and waited in the dressing room in case he was needed.