Detroit Red Wings putting their eggs in one goalie's basket on playoff run

The Detroit Red Wings have vaulted themselves into the playoff race. The team was able to put themselves into the playoff hunt, which is pretty crazy to say on its own. The Red Wings have faced some uphill battles this season, but it feels like they're in the driver's seat now.

The Detroit Red Wings have been able to move the needle in the right direction, and the goaltender supplying this has been Alex Lyon. The Red Wings had one of the worst months in December, struggling to muster up anything in terms of points, making it tough to believe they are where they are now.

However, their red-hot month in January was a complete script flip. On top of that, the Red Wings were able to ride Lyon into battle. But, with Ville Huso ending up on the Injured Reserve (IR) once again, the team is back to relying on Alex Lyon. Frankly, all of their eggs are in one basket once again, but it's not the worst thing in the world.

The Red Wings have "their guy" right now, and there's no reason not to believe that Lyon can help power this team toward a playoff run. While the hopes of a Stanley Cup run are improbable, competing with another team for seven games is more in the scope of reality.

Detroit Red Wings riding Alex Lyon off into the sunset, praying for a playoff berth.

Lyon has been quite exceptional in his first season with Detroit after signing a deal that I thought was going to send him to the AHL as the team's extra netminder. Instead, he's had a bit of a breakout year, finding his way in the NHL.

In 2023-24, Lyon played 30 games with 29 starts for the Red Wings. He has an 18-10-2 record with a 2.79 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. He's got two shut-outs under his belt and, frankly, has performed to a quality tune compared to what Husso was mustering up between the pipes.

Detroit has been able to ride out the season with Lyon between the pipes. It's been impressive for Lyon to come out and be a starter. This also comes after he was a starter for Florida when Sergei Bobrovsky was injured, and Lyon stepped in on the big stage.

So, while the focus for the Red Wings is on getting to the playoffs first and foremost, Lyon has already gotten his taste of the playoffs. It will be interesting to see if his past experience helps at all, as the Red Wings aim to go toe-to-toe with another team over a seven-game set.

Lyon has been the team's primary netminder for the majority of this season, and he's excelled in this role. The Red Wings started with three goalies coming into the year and have put their eggs into one basket, but it's worked well.