Zucker then one-upped his earlier goal by scoring 25 seconds into the third period, Rasmus Dahlin notched an empty netter and Alex Tuch deflected in a Mattias Samuelsson point shot as the Sabres turned a nailbiter into a blowout.
“Again tonight, we maybe had a little bit of a lackluster second period and then turned it around, and that’s what I think we’re getting good at: when we emotionally get a bit disengaged, we can find a way to get re-engaged,” Lyon said. “As a goalie, that’s all you can ask for, that consistency.”
Consistency has been the calling card for Lyon, who last lost on Black Friday and owns a .927 save percentage across these nine straight wins. His streak was interrupted by a three-week absence due to injury, and back in November, Buffalo’s three-goalie mix left Lyon waiting 15 days between games. Through all that, the 33-year-old’s performance hasn’t faltered.
“He comes to the rink every day and works his bag off. He’s a good pro, taking care of himself, doing what he needs to do,” said Samuelsson, who’s trained with Lyon during past offseasons in Philadelphia. “When you see what he puts in every day, it’s not very surprising that he plays this well in and out.
“I think the team’s playing well in front of him, too, which obviously helps, but whenever we need a big save out of him – and there’s definitely a couple tonight there in the second – he steps up and makes them.”
Lyon’s streak has coincided with the Sabres’ playoff push. When he beat the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 9, he launched this 18-3-1 heater that has Buffalo in lockstep with the Montreal Canadiens for third place in the Atlantic Division.
“Process is feeling good right now, but I’m just trying to take it a day at a time, because you just have to continue to hammer on the details and hope things work out,” Lyon said. “And right now, things are just working out.”
Here’s more from the win.
