Alex Lyon, third-string goalie for the Florida Panthers, may have just saved their season. With starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky out with an illness, Lyon has stepped up with a 4-0-0 record in the last four games. On Tuesday night, he made 39 saves in a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres, moving the Panthers into the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 87 points, tied with the New York Islanders but ahead on the tiebreaker, while the Pittsburgh Penguins sit just one point behind. With only four games left for each team, the race for the wild-card spots is incredibly tight.

This success is a welcome change for the Panthers, who had lost four games in a row before Lyon's winning streak. However, the team is not relaxing. Head coach Paul Maurice stated that the Eastern Conference wild-card race was "running neck-and-neck,” and the team still has work to do. With a talented roster that includes Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and Carter Verhaeghe, the Panthers could be a formidable opponent in the playoffs, provided they continue to receive solid goaltending.