The Detroit Red Wings’ goaltending situation is something that has been an interesting topic of discussion as of late. Ville Husso has seemingly played better, even in Red Wings losses. While the goal he caused in the loss to the Hurricanes was downright maddening to watch, he has made some better saves and has not been spotting the opposition five goals a game.
It was something that was extremely annoying when watching Detroit Red Wings games early this season. Sure, the Red Wings could churn out wins, but Husso would allow a ton of goals. On the flip side, Alex Lyon has been a nice breath of fresh air as one of the team’s three back-ups.
However, in the Red Wings loss to the Flyers on Saturday, Lyon had to leave the game early. The netminder was forced to come out after he tweaked/pulled something. It’s a pretty weird play as it unfolds. He was sliding in front to make a play with minimal contact, and it seemed to be a non-contact injury where he just tweaked something.
Here’s the play where Lyon was injured…
Good to see Alex Lyon is back on the bench!
— Flyers Nation (@FlyersNation) December 17, 2023
The former #Flyers goalie looked to have tweaked something. pic.twitter.com/am4eBsWbYz
Alex Lyon’s injury could be problematic for the Detroit Red Wings.
In the video, it looks like Lyon tweaks something on the left side of his abdomen as he slides across the crease. Maybe it’s just a tweak and nothing concerning, but the Red Wings did not announce any updates about Lyon, other than he could not return, sending Ville Husso in to take over.
Lyon may be good to go tonight, but time will tell. Detroit may be in for an even tougher stretch if Lyon is not alright. Even with Husso playing well as of late, Lyon missing any time could become a problem. Sure, the Red Wings have three goalies, but the hope was for Detroit to start testing Lyon out as the no.1 and giving him the “Lyonshare” of the starts.
If Lyon misses time, then Derek Lalonde must ride with Husso once again. Husso has looked better lately, but he’s been problematic this season. James Reimer had a lengthy absence from the ice, getting some time off. He has only played two games in the month of December.
But Lyon missing time could end up being less than ideal, especially with Detroit trying to continue to compete in the Atlantic Division. The perk of having three goalies is that they can call upon an NHL veteran in Reimer, but Lyon really has been solid.