Leaning On Lyon

ALLENTOWN, PA -- It's been as much a roller coaster ride for Alex Lyon as it has been for any player in the Philadelphia Flyers organization.

Mind the management & coaching changes at the NHL and AHL levels, Lyon has had been floating between the two leagues the entire season - having begun the year in the NHL before being called back up to Philadelphia on three other occasions.

Then, there's the minor injury setbacks.

Oh, and being the other option in net for the NHL club next to highly touted and extremely hyped goalie prospect Carter Hart - the unanimously dubbed 'future' for the organization in net.

Through it all, though obviously disappointed to be back in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Lyon is finding a rhythm in his ice time with the Flyers' affiliate.

"That's what is great about him. I just love the way he approaches it," Phantoms' head coach Kerry Huffman said of Lyon. "He came down and you could tell he was pretty down and pretty upset about everything. He came in, locked in and I could tell he was going to be fine. That's just the kind of pro he is."

Entering Saturday night's rematch against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Lyon and the Phantoms were on a five-game unbeaten streak (4-0-1) that saw Lyon stop 128 of 135 shots he faced in that span (.948 save percentage).

While the streak began with his first shutout since March 8, 2017 in his rookie season, it was the way Lyon overcame some last-second - and proverbial 'soft' - goals in Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday night that caught Huffman's eye.

"He's a guy that doesn't get too rattled if things don't go well initially," Huffman said of Lyon after Wednesday's come-from-behind win in Wilkes-Barre. "He bounced back, just stayed in the game and made some big saves when he had to for us."

An ivy-leaguer at Yale prior to turning pro, it comes as no surprise that Lyon articulates his thoughts well in post-game interviews whether it's fresh off a big win or a frustrating loss. The way he responded to a silly question he was asked after Friday's 4-1 win against Providence about not getting the shutout speaks to the way Lyon conducts himself both on and off the ice. A true pro, if you will

"In the big scheme of things it's really just so meaningless," Lyon said of the third period goal he allowed Friday, after a puck hit Zach Palmquist in the face and lay on the ice for a mini-breakaway against. "You take pride in getting the zero, obviously, but just really it came down to the last minute of the game so just really happy to get the win."

For as much as he deflects talk about being back in the AHL, or his disappointment in being returned to the minors again for the fourth time this season, Lyon admitted that it's definitely something he's having a hard time not thinking about.

"For sure. As much as I try to not talk about it or not think about it, it's difficult not to when you're going up and down," Lyon said of his constant in-flux movement to start the year. "And that's part of the business too, part of making the NHL."

If nothing else, this latest stint in the AHL has allowed Lyon to get consistent playing time and the ability to start to get into a rhythm as the Phantoms' schedule picks up in January to the tune of 13 games in 22 days.

"It is really nice to be in a rhythm and have a little bit of consistency, and in my personal life as well. I'm just feeling content. Just gotta keep stopping pucks. That's all I'm focused on."