Injury Update: Lyon Pleased with Recovery, Unlikely to Be Available for Red Wings in Pittsburgh

Detroit Red Wings goaltender Alex Lyon—who hasn't played since Oct. 30 against the Jets after a flare up of a lower body injury last week—was all smiles at his locker Tuesday afternoon.  Lyon, whom coach Derek Lalonde reported had taken an individual skate yesterday morning, took part in Red Wings practice for the first time since picking up the injury.  He said it was "good to be back in the net again.  It felt like it'd been a while."

Lalonde provided further detail on Lyon's status, saying it was a good sign to see "him and Ville [Husso] split half the net" at practice.  He added, "We'll see how he react[s].  I still expect Ville to back-up tomorrow for Cam [Talbot], and then we'll make a decision after that."

The Red Wings are about to embark on a four-game road trip that begins tomorrow night in Pittsburgh before swinging west to California for games against the Kings, Ducks, and Sharks.  Per Lalonde, Lyon will join the team on the trip.  "Both on the trip on the front end of it," the head coach said.  "We'll re-evaluate post-Pittsburgh on Alex's health."

When Lyon does return to full health, the Red Wings will have a decision to make as it relates to Husso.  When asked whether Detroit would like to carry three goaltenders on its roster, Lalonde replied, "No, I don't think so.  We have the roster room now [i.e. an extra spot opened up by the Olli Maatta trade, making a spot for Husso that wasn't there when he was initially sent down to Grand Rapids], but again Cam and even Alex were playing at a pretty high, consistent level, so ideally we'd probably like to get Alex back in, but again, it'll be contingent on how he reacts in the next couple days."

Husso's first start of the year came against the Penguins on opening night and ended after giving up four goals on 14 shots before the second period was halfway through.  His second start came nearly a full month later, last Saturday against the Rangers.  It was an improvement, but 20 saves on 23 shots still left something to be desired, especially considering that the three goals all came in the first two periods on just 14 shots.  Based on Lalonde's comments, it does not appear that Red Wings brass was convinced enough by the performance to allocate a roster spot to Husso, even with one available post-Maatta trade.

For Detroit, it is of course good news that Lyon's injury does not appear to be a lingering one.  Though his most recent outing against the Jets left something to be desired, Lyon has generally been sharp to start the year, with a .916 save percentage and 2.78 goals against average through six appearances.

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