SUNRISE, Fla. -- Paul Maurice limited his post-game media scrum to one topic.
Alex Lyon.
Falling one save shy of matching Roberto Luongo's single-game franchise record, Lyon pieced together a performance for the ages while turning aside 56 of 58 shots to backstop the Florida Panthers to a crucial 7-2 win over the Ottawa Senators at FLA Live Arena on Thursday.
RECAP: Lyon roars with 56 saves, Panthers blow out Senators
"The one guy that was dialed in right straight through from start to finish regardless of what was going on was Alex," Maurice said. "He was good in all areas. … I'm happy for him. He's worked really hard to be that good. From his first tour up [to the NHL], and then coming back in, he's coming to the rink even-keeled, but works very, very hard at his game. I'm very happy for him."
Starting all five games since Sergei Bobrovsky was sidelined by a non-COVID illness, Lyon has helped the Panthers claw back into a playoff spot while going 5-0-0 on top of a spectacular .961 save percentage.
With only three games left to play in the regular season, the Panthers (41-31-7) are currently in possession of the first wild card in the Eastern Conference. The New York Islanders (40-30-9) own the second wild card, while the Penguins (39-30-10) trail both teams by just one point.
"It's been awesome," Lyon said of his incredible run between the pipes. "I'm just trying to do my best to manage the emotion and trying to stay even. I really want this team to make the playoffs, so that's a motivating factor. … Same message. You just can't breathe. We've got to go to Washington tomorrow. The job's not done. I don't know what else happened tonight, but the job's not done."
After enduring an early push from the Senators, the Panthers pushed back and opened the scoring when Brandon Montour collected a pass from Matthew Tkachuk and ripped a shot in transition from the high slot past Leevi Merilainen to make it 1-0 at 7:59 of the first period.
Doubling the lead for the Panthers on the power play, Aleksander Barkov showed off his elite accuracy when he threaded a laser of a wrist shot through the tiniest of holes over Merilainen's left shoulder and into the cage from near the center of the right circle to make it 2-0 at 14:03.
Under fire in net, Lyon stopped all 22 shots he faced in the first period.
"Things just kind of worked out tonight," said Lyon, who's gone 8-3-1 with Florida this season. "I was feeling good early. I made some good-feeling saves early, and that's just kind of a good way to set the table for the game. I've got to give a lot of credit to that team. They play so hard."
Whether the Panthers are up a man or down a man, it doesn't matter to Barkov. On the penalty kill in the second period, the captain pushed the lead to 3-0 when he took a pass from Sam Reinhart and beat Merilainen with a shot from the top of the left circle for a shorthanded goal at 1:24.
Following that goal, Merilainen replaced by Mads Sogaard in Ottawa's net.
A few minutes later, Claude Giroux scored to get the Senators on the board and trim Florida's advantage to 3-1 at 4:25. Swinging momentum right back in favor of the home team, Reinhart re-directed a shot from Montour into the twine to put the Panthers up 4-1 at 7:48.
With tempers flaring following a few earlier scuffles, things finally boiled over when -- after the Panthers took exception to Lyon getting roughed up yet again -- multiple fights broke out. After Matthew Tkachuk tussled with Drake Batherson, Brady Tkachuk brawled with Marc Staal.
Brady Tkachuk and Staal both received game misconducts.
"The energy was amazing," said Tkachuk, who pumped up the crowd on his way to the penalty box. "It felt like another playoff game even though they're a little bit behind us. It was a do-or-die game, and the crowd brought it tonight."
On the power play, Eetu Luostarinen sent the sounds of "Mambo No. 5" blaring throughout the arena when he followed up on a shot from Aaron Ekblad and buried the rebound to make it 5-1 at 9:25.
After killing off a full two minutes of a 5-on-3 advantage for the Senators, Nick Cousins jumped out of the box, settled down a perfect home-run pass from Ekblad and -- despite having a player draped all over his back -- slipped a shot through Sogaard's five-hole to make it 6-1 at 15:38.
Capping off the scoring spree, Gustav Forsling wired home a shot to make it 7-1 at 17:00.
With the Panthers giving most of their stars a rest during the third period, Ridly Grieg scored the lone goal of the frame to trim Ottawa's daunting deficit to 7-2 with 3:41 remaining in regulation.
"Probably the longest game I've ever played in," Tkachuk said with a grin. "We played with the lead for most of the night, which is always a good thing. The Lyon King made some huge saves early to help us weather the storm. Once we got that lead, it was a little bit crazy after that."
With the win safely in hand, "Lyon! Lyon! Lyon!" chants echoed from the crowd.
"I do hear it," said Lyon, who joked that one of his talents is being able to block out noise. "I appreciate the fans. Playing in the NHL is awesome. I definitely don't take it for granted."
CATS QUOTES
"Nine months ago I was in the Calder Cup Playoffs. That was a massive learning experience for me. I didn't know what it took to win at this time of year until I was with that team. It was an eye-opening experience, just the commitment it takes to win at this time of the year." - Alex Lyon on his ability to stay calm during the playoff run
"He was busy, so he had to stay focused. Lots of shots, lots of chances. He played unreal." - Matthew Tkachuk on Alex Lyon's performance
"It wasn't the most-basic game. There were a lot of fights and a lot of stoppages. It was unbelievable by Lyon. We didn't play our best game today, but he pretty much gave us all the chances to win. We were really opportunistic." - Aleksander Barkov on tonight's win
CATS NOTES
- Brandon Montour has set a new franchise record for assists in a season by a defenseman with 56. He also matched the franchise's single-game record for points by a defenseman with four.
- Matthew Tkachuk recorded his 33rd multi-point game of the season.
- Aleksander Barkov has moved into a tie with a Tom Fitzgerald for the most shorthanded goals in franchise history with 12.
- Alex Lyon made 17 high-danger saves, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
- The Panthers and Senators combined for 166 penalty minutes.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Panthers (41-31-7) will play their final road game of the regular season when they face off against the Washington Capitals (34-35-13) at Capital One Arena on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
