WGR Sports Radio 550 - The Buffalo Sabres got some bad news about goaltender Alex Lyon on Wednesday.
Following the morning skate in Dallas, Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters that Lyon has returned to Buffalo with a lower-body injury suffered late in Monday’s win over the St. Louis Blues. Ruff says his goalie will miss "a bit of time."
Colten Ellis has been practicing fully for awhile now, and will be activated off Injured Reserve from a concussion suffered back on Dec. 9.
Going into this game with the Dallas Stars, Buffalo has won nine-straight games, with Lyon taking seven of those contests. In his last eight games, Lyon is 7-0-0 with a 2.12 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. Before that, he hadn't won a game since Oct. 24 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
From Day 1 until his current streak started, Lyon was 3-6-3 with a 3.23 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will take over the No. 1 role now, and has beaten the New Jersey Devils on the road and the Boston Bruins at home during these nine wins. His goals-against average in those two games is 1.00, while his save percentage is .960.
It took a nine-game winning streak to get there, but the Sabres hold down the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with a points percentage of .579. Both the Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals are at .577, but Washington has the eighth and final spot with the tie-breaker.
If you’re thinking about the top-three sports in the Atlantic Division, the Tampa Bay Lightning are in first place at .618, while the Montreal Canadiens are second at .615, followed by the Detroit Red Wings at .613.
The Colorado Avalanche have two regulation losses in 38 games this season, so it’s only natural to assume the Stars are behind them in the Central Division. Colorado has a points percentage of .855, while Dallas is at .731.
These two teams are also the top-two teams in the NHL.
With 23 goals this season, Stars forward Jason Robertson is fifth in the NHL. Robertson has 45 points, as does Wyatt Johnston, which ranks them 10th in overall scoring.
Meanwhile, Mikko Rantanen has 15 goals and 39 assists for 54 points this season, which is fifth overall in the league.
Miko Heiskanen provides offense from the blue line with seven goals and 27 assists for 34 points. He ranks fifth amongst defensemen.
In goal, Jake Oettinger and Casey DeSmith have been alternating lately, with it being DeSmith’s turn to go on Wednesday, if they stay with that rotation.
DeSmith is 9-1-4 this season with a 2.33 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage, while Oettinger is 16-6-3 this year with a 2.51 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.
The Stars are second in the NHL in goal scoring, and fourth in goals-against. Their power play is second overall, while their penalty kill is seventh.
Join Brian Koziol and me for pregame coverage on WGR Sports Radio 550 starting at 7 p.m.
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