NHL best and worst: Alex Lyon is saving the Panthers season

The NHL season is coming down to the wire, with just a couple of games left on the docket until the postseason arrives.

With just a few spots left up for grabs and some seeding jockeying left to sort out, we’ve got everything you’ll want to see from this past week of NHL action in this week’s edition of the NHL’s Best and Worst.

Player of the week: Alex Lyon

The Florida Panthers looked down and out not long ago, with the Atlantic’s three division spots slipping out of sight and the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres hot on their heels. Fast forward to the first week of April, however, and the Cats have found a saviour in the form of Alex Lyon.

The 30-year-old career backup has come out of nowhere to snatch Florida’s net from Sergei Bobrovsky in convincing fashion. His .959 save percentage this week was second amongst all netminders with more than one start, while nobody faced more rubber than the former Yale Bulldog, including a remarkable 56-save performance against the Senators on Thursday to set a franchise record for saves in a game.

Goal of the week

The early returns on Alexis Lafrenière’s career have been a mixed bag for a first-overall pick. The highly touted 21-year-old hasn’t quite blossomed into the superstar he was projected to be, but he’s still been a productive player for the Rangers and is currently closing in on his first 40-point season in the NHL. Not to mention, if Lafrenière can flash high-skill plays like this, there may be hope yet that there’s more in the tank for the high-flying youngster.

Save of the week

With the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights deadlocked at 1-1 through overtime in a potential playoff preview, this one needed a shootout and a hero. Enter Jake Oettinger, who’s emerged as a workhorse for the Stars this season, as he absolutely robs Golden Knights shooter Paul Cotter with a remarkable toe save to seal the win and push Dallas into a tie for the Central Division lead.

Dish of the week

Matias Maccelli looks like a star in the making down in the desert, as the rookie sits just eight points back of the scoring lead despite playing 15 fewer games than Matty Beniers. The Finnish phenom has been a revelation for Arizona, with his deft playmaking giving Coyotes fans plenty to dream about for the coming years. That sixth sense is perfectly exemplified on this play, as Maccelli somehow found a way to set Barrett Hayton up with a fantastic pass.

Hands of the week

Hey, asking for a friend, are player-coaches still allowed in the NHL? There might be a non-zero chance that Martin St. Louis could play in the Canadiens' top-six given all of their injuries, and if this beauty of a shootout goal during Habs practice earlier this week is any indication, he might just be one of the team’s better options at the moment.

Hit of the week

In a chippy, playoff-style showdown between the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning, Braden Schneider showed off all 6-foot-3 of his bulky frame as he levelled Bolts forward Nick Paul at the blue line with a clean, standup hit.

Quote of the week

Talk about burning bridges. Former Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat did not hold back post-game after the Islanders' gutsy 4-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night, riling up the home crowd while throwing salt in the gaping wound he left with his exit from Vancouver.

“Makes me look like a good guy”

Brad Marchand and the Boston Bruins took on the St. Louis Blues last Sunday in a battle between the Haves and Have-Nots of the NHL this season. Before the game, the NHL’s top pest took a moment to chat with Paul Bissonnette and the NHL on TNT panel pre-game, touching on fellow heel Jordan Binnington and his recent antics.

Jett set

With the Maple Leafs up 7-1 in the dying moments of their game against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night, University of Toronto netminder and emergency backup Jett Alexander got the call to relieve Ilya Samsonov and close out his first (and likely only) NHL game.

The moment was obviously special for Alexander and his family, but perhaps more interesting were the post-game comments from Canadiens defenseman Chris Wideman, who took exception to the decision with a snippy soundbite.

How old are these guys?

Look, I’m younger than a bunch of these guys in the video, but come on. This video from NHL Social is further proof that these dudes are ‘head empty, just vibes’. To be fair, when you’re playing pro hockey for a living, that’s as good an excuse as any to have your head in the clouds.

History out West

After a disastrous opening act, the Seattle Kraken’s encore has gone swimmingly (no pun intended) as they clinched the first playoff berth in their club’s history on Thursday. This great call — and even better visual — from the broadcast booth puts into perspective what a roller coaster the first two years in the Emerald City have been, and what it means for the Kraken to be headed to the dance for the first time.

Milestone of the week

Sid the Kid isn’t exactly a kid anymore as he's set to conclude his age-35 season in the coming days with the Penguins' postseason hopes dwindling. With so much greatness behind him, however, it’s worth acknowledging the outstanding season he's put together this year, notching his record 18th straight point per game season last month. Then, with a goal against the Detroit Red Wing last week, Crosby became the fifth-ever — and sixth-fastest — player to hit the 1500-point mark, further cementing his status among the legends of NHL history.

Stat of the week

The Boston Bruins have made it. After nearly seven gruelling months, the President’s Trophy winners-to-be have reached the mountaintop, overtaking the 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning and 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings with 63 wins, the most in a regular season in NHL history. We are witnessing history, folks. The only question is if they can sustain it into the postseason.

150 in the bag

Speaking of history, Connor McDavid became the first player since Mario Lemieux in 1996 to achieve the 150-point mark against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, putting him an astonishing 41 points ahead of any player not on the Edmonton Oilers. Draisaitl’s excellence this year may be overshadowed in some respects by McDavid’s herculean effort, but it’s hard to overlook just how dominant they’ve been, alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, to form one of the most fearsome trios in recent NHL history.

Shots shots shots!

The Anaheim Ducks are a nightmare. If you can think of a defensive metric, it’s almost a certainty that this year’s Ducks squad is at the bottom of it. Allowing an asinine 4.11 goals against per game while getting shelled in the process, Anaheim made history earlier this week, becoming the worst ever shot suppressing team in NHL history on Saturday in a 5-4 loss to the Arizona Coyotes.

Worst of the week

Jordan Binnington and Ryan Hartman have had their share of run-ins already this season, but after this baffling misplay by the Blues netminder, it might be time to retire this beef out of sheer embarrassment.

The finger wag is just so, so disrespectful. You love to see it.

Potty mouth

Going to an NHL game as a kid is always a treat, and getting to sit front row just inches away from your favourite stars is even more special. As it turns out, however, not every munchkin up against the glass is quite so enamoured by their hockey heroes. Take this young Minnesota Wild fan, who’s too busy giving the business to Jonathan Quick to remember that Mom and Dad are right beside her, and don’t appreciate the foul language she’s directing towards the future Hall-of-Famer.

Lord Farquaad, is that you?

Seth Jarvis bobblehead night sure seems like it was mighty popular in Raleigh last week, though the man of the hour seems to have had some notes for whoever was behind sculpting his likeness. With news that Shrek 5 is still on the way, Jarvis must’ve had it on his mind when he made this hilarious comment to fans while signing some gear.

Trending up: Florida Panthers

Winners of six straight, the Panthers are in the driver's seat with just a handful of games left on the schedule. Equipped with the likely Hart runner-up in Matthew Tkachuk, as well as a scorching hot goaltender, the Cats are a sneaky squad to watch if they’re able to punch their ticket, and could definitely do some damage if they catch their first-round opponent napping.

Despite borderline ineptitude between the pipes for the bulk of the season, the Panthers are sixth in the NHL in expected goal share and are one of just two teams to beat the Boston Bruins twice this season. Keep your eyes peeled if Florida does come away with the second wild card spot, because things could get weird quickly.

Trending down: Los Angeles Kings

It’s been a tale of two seasons for the Kings, who came into the All-Star break looking like paper tigers and have since been one of the league’s elite. Lately, however, things have reverted in the wrong direction in Hollywood, with Los Angeles ceding the second seed and home ice to the Edmonton Oilers and losing three straight in regulation. Even more frightening, the Kraken’s coinciding hot streak has Los Angeles hanging on to the third seed by a mere two points, though the Kraken has a game in hand and holds the tiebreaker. Things are going sideways at the wrong time and could spell an early exit if they aren’t straightened out fast.