Alex Lyon's in the driver's seat as Detroit Red Wings continue surging

The Detroit Red Wings are continuing to surge. The month of January has been a completely different level of play than the Red Wings from December. It felt like the Red Wings were crashing hard, slowly pulling themselves out of the playoff race. But the new year has proved to be a valuable reset for the team.

Detroit Red Wings netminder Alex Lyon has been amazing at the helm of things between the crease. The 31-year-old has settled in quite well and has been able to step up with Ville Husso being hurt. But, even with Husso nearing a return, Lyon is in the driver's seat. He's proved to be the team's best netminder.

Head coach Derek Lalonde needs to trust Lyon to get the job done between the pipes. He's gotten it done lately, and it's been huge for him to establish himself. I have a 7-1-1 record through the month of January, which has been quite great for Detroit and Lyon.

In Lyon's last stretch of games, he's looked the part of a starter. He has really found ways to excel, and the level of play in front of him has undoubtedly been better than things were in December. For the Red Wings, continuing to churn out good starts with Lyon driving things in the crease would be huge for a strong finish to this month.

Alex Lyon is really helping power the Detroit Red Wings.

Since the New Year, Lyon has played in eight games with a 6-1-1 record. He's allowed 20 goals in that stretch, which may not be ideal, but he still has managed a .927 save percentage. Detroit has to be thrilled with this level of play from their netminder. After all, he was brought in alongside James Reimer to be the backup goalie, and he's certainly living up to the expectations.

Lyon's played in 17 games total, with an 11-5-1 record. He has a 2.54 goals-against average with a .924 save percentage. Lyon has lived up to his contract and well beyond it. Lately, Lyon's often coming up with those big stops, helping the team in big spots and keeping Detroit ahead in games.

Detroit's in need of some big wins and any points they can add to the board for the standings. It's going to be big for the Red Wings' playoff hopes. If Lyon continues to be a solid primary option, it could help Detroit keep gaining ground and holding steady in the Atlantic Division.

Also, while Lyon has been good, in the game James Reimer played, he got it done, helping the Red Wings grab a big win. There's something to be said about Detroit's play lately and how great it has been, climbing back into the playoff race. But, when talking about how well things are going for the Red Wings right now, something has to be said about Lyon and his play.