Detroit Red Wings riding Alex Lyon into the ground is worrisome

The Detroit Red Wings need a win—desperately. The one thing that continues to be a problem is goaltending in Detroit. Whether it was Alex Nedeljkovic or Ville Husso, the Red Wings goalies have consistently performed poorly. Alex Lyon is the latest, being called upon night after night.

The Detroit Red Wings have been calling upon Lyon left and right. Frankly, his month of January between the pipes is what has kept the Red Wings on the playoff push. He was doing good, night in and night out, producing between the crease, keeping the puck out of the net, and keeping Detroit in games.

As of late, Ville Husso has been out with an injury. It meant that the Red Wings are pushing Lyon to put his nose to the grindstone. He's been working to do whatever he can between the pipes to keep the playoff hopes alive. However, two of his recent starts have left him sitting on the bench before the game's over.

It's been tough sledding for Lyon lately, and a little bit of this begins to worry me. Detroit needs a win, and while I'm all in on Lyon this year, he needs a rest right now. The Red Wings need a win, and James Reimer may not be the answer either, but another loss with Reimer in net, giving Lyon a reset, should be in the cards. But that's just my armchair coach's thoughts.

Detroit Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon is being overused.

Overused may not be the right word, but Lyon consistently being thrown between the pipes has made things tough on him. He's been someone who has shown the Red Wings fans some impressive stuff between the pipes. Fans would likely agree he deserves a medal for how much he's meant to this team in 2023-24.

Yet, at the same time, lately, it's been a complete mess. He's dropped the last five games he's been in net, dating back to February 29th. Lyon has played to a .769 save percentage, and his goals-against average is above 5.40 per game in this stretch. It's been a horrid output from Lyon.

Detroit needs something to fire them up. Maybe the dust-up in practice on Wednesday will accomplish this. With Lyon struggling between the pipes, something has to get better. Continuing to force Lyon between the pipes does not seem like the answer.

As mentioned, he's had to leave two games early. Lyon's five-game skid is brutal, and his performance is well below expectations. Something has to give, but with the Red Wings trying to cling to any playoff hopes, something has to give.

Selfishly, I'm a little worried about continuing to ride on Lyon in the crease. Husso has his issues with durability and being able to stay healthy. However, Lyon could be headed down the same road of durability issues if Derek Lalonde keeps putting him between the pipes.

It's not that I think Lyon has these issues, but the NHL is different these days. Tandem goaltenders are the norm. So relying on Lyon night after night is just not how this works. At some point, he's going to run out of gas, and it seems like he's reaching that point. To clarify, I'm not pinning the Red Wings skid on Lyon, either. The play in front of him has been abysmal.

It's not all on Lyon, especially with things in front of him being so rough. However, Lyon being sent to the crease night after night has to stop at some point. The playoff hopes are not dead, but they will be if this skid continues.