SAN JOSE, Calif – Alternating starts in net may be creating some friendly competition between Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and the results have been fantastic for the Buffalo Sabres.
Thursday at SAP Center, two days after Luukkonen’s 28 save shutout in Vegas, Lyon stopped all 23 shots in a 5-0 Sabres shutout of the San Jose Sharks.
“We have two unbelievable goalies,” captain Rasmus Dahlin said postgame. “He can’t be worse than Upie, it seems like, so he also had to shut it out. Unbelievable. They are a huge part of our success.”
That success has reached new heights on the road, with Buffalo extending its franchise-record points streak to 12 games (11-0-1) away from KeyBank Center. Further, the Sabres have gone 18-2-1 on the road since Dec. 9, and the goaltending has led the way with an unrivaled .935 save percentage during that run.
Lyon, individually, has won 10 straight on the road. Assuming the goalie rotation continues, he’ll have a chance to tie the all-time NHL record (11) on Sunday in Anaheim.
“I didn’t know that!,” he reacted, then gave a typically thoughtful explanation:
“I think as you get older, you get better on the road, just taking care of your body, doing the right things leading up to the game. It’s a completely different process than preparing for a home game, so you get better at that with time. It’s cool, and (I’m) just gonna try to send it next game.”