BOSTON – Goalie Alex Lyon is likely in for Game 3 of the Sabres’ first-round playoff series. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is likely out.
Lyon, 33, manned the net usually reserved for that night’s started during this morning’s pregame skate, meaning he’s expected to get the nod against the Bruins. The best-of-seven series is tied 1-1.
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff refused to name his starter for tonight’s game.
Lyon hasn’t started a game since allowing three goals on five shots on April 4 and getting yanked 5:52 into 6-2 road loss to the Washington Capitals. He did, however, relieve Luukkonen in Tuesday’s 4-2 home loss, stopping all seven shots he faced in 14:10 of action.
He suffered a muscle strain late in the regular season and returned for Game 1 on Sunday to back up Luukkonen.
After Luukkonen allowed an 89-foot goal and later got yanked in Game 2, it appeared the Sabres could turn to Lyon.
The Sabres, of course, kept three goalies all season, also utilizing rookie Colten Ellis. Before Lyon’s late-season struggles and injury, he alternated starts with Luukkonen over an 18-game stretch.
“We’ve used three goalies all year,” Ruff said this afternoon in TD Garden. “Some people thought it was a little unusual that we alternated. The cool thing about our team is … we haven’t relied on one guy. We haven’t relied on one goalie. We’ve had a lot of different players help us get to where we are.
“We know we’re a good team because of the depth of our goaltending. We know we’re a good team because of the depth of our forwards. It isn’t about one person. We could alternate goaltenders from now until the end of the playoffs and it would be perfectly normal for our club.”
Lyon enjoyed a terrific season, registering a 20-10-4 record with a 2.74 goals-against average, a 9.07 save percentage and three shutouts in 36 games. He won 10 straight road games, one short of the NHL record.
He hit a rut late in the year, compiling a 0-2-1 mark with a 6.24 goals against-average and a .772 save percentage in his final three starts.
The Yale product played four games for the Florida Panthers during their run to the 2023 Stanley Cup final.
“He brings experience,” Ruff said. “As well as he played for us all year, he’s got a background of where he’s been. He’s been in big games before. I think he understands that. He’s a great guy in the dressing room. He’s a guy that teammates all love. When he isn’t playing, he’s an incredibly hard worker.”
In other lineup news, the Sabres are expected to make two changes up front, inserting rookie Noah Ostlund for Josh Norris, who’s day to day with an undisclosed injury, and Tyson Kozak for Josh Dunne.
They would become the 12th and 13th Sabres to make their postseason debut this series.
Ostlund, who has missed the last 12 games with an upper-body injury, skated this morning in Norris’ spot between Zack Benson and Josh Doan. The Swede also had a spot on the second power-play unit. Winger Alex Tuch moved up to take Norris’ place on the top unit.
Watching the first two games of the hotly contested series helped Ostlund get a feel for the postseason.
“I feel more ready to go now,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kozak centered Jordan Greenway and Beck Malenstyn.
Kozak believes his game will work well in the playoffs.
“I’m the kind of player that likes to get to the dirty areas around the ice, in the corners, front the net kind kind of area,” he said. “I think I just got to use my speed as well. I think that one of my big assets is my speed and getting in on the forecheck and disrupting their defenseman.”
Ruff said Kozak, who moved in and out of the lineup during the regular season, has “brought a lot of speed and a lot of tenacity.”
“I think he can pressure the puck, his tracking away from the puck with his skating has been real good,” he said. “In the faceoff dot, there’s times that I’ve really trusted him. He’s won some key faceoffs.”