Elliotte Friedman raises key Sabers question ahead of Round 2 vs. Canadians

The tide of the Buffalo Sabres’ opening-round playoff conquer the Boston Bruins modified late in Game 2, when goaltender Alex Lyon changed a struggling Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and introduced much-needed stability to the crease to help the club advance in six.

Can I do it once more?

That’s the question on the thoughts of NHL insider Elliott Friedman of Sportsnet, who’s regularly mentioned the streaky nature of Lyon’s profession since late within the common season, when the 33-year-old journeyman endured a dip in efficiency after which suffered an harm.

“You know, I think for Buffalo, Lyon’s on one of his streaks,” Friedman stated Monday on the 32 Thoughts podcast. “How long does this streak last?”

The 2022 Calder Cup champion — he posted a .923 save proportion throughout 12 video games to assist lead the Chicago Wolves to an AHL title 4 years in the past — stopped 106 of the 111 Bruins photographs he confronted within the earlier spherical (.955 SV%).

Head coach Lindy Ruff’s determination handy the beginning position to Lyon appears apparent in hindsight, however it got here with reliable dangers. The veteran goalie had posted a .847 SV% throughout his final six regular-season begins before missing the final few weeks with the injury.

“The thing with Lyon too is, are we going to see a point where they are going to have to go to someone else? He might just punch me in the face when he sees me this week,” Friedman joked. “If you’re a Sabers fan, you want to see this [hot streak] keep going.”

He added: “We understand we’re in a league now where no goalie plays every game anymore. So, that’s one of the things I’m curious in this series. Does it come to a point — Buffalo’s already switched their guy eleven, will they have to do it again?”

The Sabers will hope that is not the case as a result of UPL, who appeared extremely shaky within the first two video games towards the Bruins, is a serious question mark. That stated, Buffalo did efficiently rotate its goalies all through the season, so making one other change would not be uncharted territory.

Breaking down the Buffalo Sabers vs. Montreal Canadiens second-round goaltending battle

Like the Sabres, the Canadiens used three goalies throughout the common season: Jakub Dobes, Sam Montembeault and Jacob Fowler. It was Dobes who seized the beginning job to open the playoffs, and he was terrific because the Habs superior previous the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven video games.

Let’s try the projected Lyon vs. Dobes matchup based mostly on their Round 1 efficiency, together with an analytical view by way of MoneyPuck:

Here’s a have a look at how all six goalies from the 2 golf equipment carried out within the common season:

What makes this conflict between Atlantic Division rivals intriguing is the very fact they each performed tightly contested sequence within the first spherical. The Bruins and Lightning had been succesful of slowing down the tempo and limiting high-danger scoring probabilities.

Buffalo and Montreal have the potential to play a much more up-tempo, offense-friendly sequence, which might put much more strain on the goaltenders to struggle off these prime scoring alternatives.

That’s why Friedman’s prediction that a minimum of one staff, if not each, may find yourself making a change between the pipes throughout what may very well be a seven-game marathon could finally show prophetic.