Battle wounds continue to mount for the Red Wings following latest loss

Samuel Ersson and the Philadelphia Flyers shut out the Detroit Red Wings with a 1-0 victory on Saturday night. Throughout the game, the Red Wings struggled to generate significant offensive plays, and it wasn’t until late in the contest that they had a few promising opportunities to score with their net empty. Headed by coach John Tortorella, the Flyers demonstrated a robust defensive strategy, employing a physical style of play that often pushed the Red Wings to the periphery or less threatening areas in the offensive zone. Even when Detroit managed chances from the point or in the slot, the Flyers, known for their commitment to shot-blocking in front of their young goaltender, effectively thwarted those attempts.

The sole goal of the game was scored by Cam York, a former Michigan Wolverine defenseman. At 22 years old, York has amassed five goals and 12 points over 30 games this season and plays a key role on the Flyers’ top defensive pairing.

Not only did the Detroit Red Wings lose the game, but they also lost goaltender Alex Lyon.

Alex Lyon, aged 31, initiated his goaltending duties on Saturday night against his former team. However, he was compelled to exit the game during the second period after executing an awkward yet acrobatic save. Lyon remained on the ice post-whistle, indicating discomfort on his left side as the medical staff attended to him. Although he managed to skate off under his own power, he was unable to make a comeback. Lyon made 14 saves out of 15 attempts during the match, with the solitary goal resulting from a redirection by J.T. Compher, who, while defending a Flyer in front, inadvertently tipped the puck into Detroit’s goal over Lyon’s left shoulder.

Ville Husso stepped into action after starting the previous two games for the Red Wings. Encouragingly, he displayed an impressive performance. Despite a challenging start to the regular season, which followed a difficult finish to the previous year, Husso seems to be on the verge of overcoming his prolonged slump. On Saturday night, he thwarted all 18 shots he faced. Lyon’s injury appears to be categorized as day-to-day, as he returned to the bench in the third period. It’s worth noting that in Detroit’s terminology, “day-to-day” often translates to a more extended timeframe, leaning towards “week-to-week,” as recent instances have demonstrated.

Following the game, Husso shared the following remarks:

“Again there’s a little injury,” Husso said. “Happened there in the second period. Those are part of hockey I guess. You never want to see that, especially when you’re sitting on the bench. But hopefully he’s okay and will be back soon. For my part, even when you don’t play you still get ready for the game as usual and just try to prepare like it’s your own game. I feel like it wasn’t like anything bad that I jump in like in the middle of the game. I was ready to go.” 

Expect head coach Derek Lalonde to ride the hot hand of Husso over the next few games while Lyon recovers. That implies James Reimer will need to serve as the primary backup and will likely see another opportunity to start over the next week.