Last season when the Detroit Red Wings came just one point shy of making the postseason, a lot of people looked towards the stretches of losses near the end of February and March. Just one more point in one of those matchups could have changed the destiny for a team that seemed to keep sneaking out wins in the final seconds of games to end the season.
What could have happened if they were to take Washington’s spot in the final wild card position? Would they have also been swept in the first round? Or would some of the late game heroics continued and made for a magical postseason upset? After being only close enough to smell it but too far away to actually taste it, the fans in Detroit are begging for a playoff berth this April and they may have reason for optimism.
Last season, Alex Lyon had to step in and man the net after both Husso and Reimer dealt with both injuries and poor play. The third man on the totem pole was asked to shoulder the load, but to everyone's surprise, he performed more than just admirably.
He was arguably the team’s MVP for the majority of the season, bailing the Red Wings out of games that they had every reason to lose; except goaltending. Lyon stood on his head night after night and looked like he could be the man to lead the team the rest of the way, even when Husso was ready to return.
However, it ultimately became too much. The hot streak that Lyon rode for multiple months became too hot and pushed him to get burnt out. The continuous starts piled up and became too much work for him to shoulder, with his numbers and play taking a drastic dip as the season came to an end.
They say “hindsight is 20/20”. After the disappointment of a failed postseason berth faded from my psyche, I looked at what could have been without emotion attached. GM Steve Yzerman had planned for Ville Husso to be the starting goaltender and to rotate Lyon and/or Reimer as the season progressed.
That is what Alex Lyon is built for. He can be one of the best backups in the league
We were shown how good he can be when he isn't forced to play every night. Unfortunately the Hockey Gods did not allow us to see that last season and had different plans for Husso. Thus, Yzerman saw what I was able to see later. He needed someone that he could rely on to be what he wished Husso was.
Cam Talbot is a respected goaltender around the NHL, but you would be hard pressed to find many people who would tell you he is a franchise goalie or the solution to a team with goaltender problems. But again, that is not what the organization needed from him.
They just needed him to be a trustworthy replacement for Ville Husso. Lucky for all of us, he has exceeded that mark. So far this season, Talbot boasts a 908 save percentage and 2 shutouts, while clocking in a 2.83 GAA.
Are these All-Star numbers? No, but it has been steady goaltending while, in turn, helping Alex Lyon. Giving Lyon a start every 3-4 games has paid dividends. Lyon matches Talbot with a .908 save percentage and a slightly better 2.58 GAA.
Compare those numbers to last season when he posted a .904 save percentage and a 3.05 GAA. The Red Wings now have two goaltenders who can be relied on to put up steady goaltending every game without much drop off from one to the next.
The bonus that no one wants to talk about is that having the security of these two netminders makes the odds of needing to recall prospect Sebastian Cossa up from Grand Rapids much lower, meaning that he can continue to finish his professional development before being a mainstay on the roster next season.
Alex Lyon is the perfect asset to be a complementary goalie
Although it did not work out the way that it was envisioned last season, it looks like the Red Wings have found the recipe for a safe net, despite not having the greatest defense core in the division. With numbers like these, it can make the team feel comfortable in knowing they have a shot to make the postseason and even steal a round or two if one of them gets hot.
Without putting the cart before the horse, it will be interesting if Todd Mclellan would stick to this recipe for a postseason run or name Talbot the playoff goaltender and give him all of the starts. It is my belief that we will find out come April. (Knocks on wood).