Player cards · Sabres

Alex Lyon

Goalie, Sabres. -0.7 goals saved compared with an average goalie this season, 43 of 76 goalies, over 1 games and 25 shots on goal. Numbers through November 12, 2026.

SABRES
2026-27

Alex Lyon

GOALIE

-0.7

goals saved vs. an
average goalie
43 of 76 goalies this season

1Games

0.880Save rate

0.750Close-in save

Goals saved vs. average, running total, game by game (dashed line = average)

SMALL SAMPLE

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Alex Lyon

Season	Team	Games	Shots	Save	vs. Avg
2023-24	DET	44	1325	0.904	-1.0
2024-25	DET	30	705	0.896	-1.0
2025-26	BUF	36	980	0.906	+8.9
2026-27	BUF	1	25	0.880	-0.7

Blended rating: +0.13 goals saved per 100 shots (30 of 76). It mixes this season with seasons back to 2023-24 and pulls toward average, so a hot or cold dozen games doesn't take over.

Facing 25 shots this season, an average goalie would have a 0.910 save rate; he's at 0.880. League close-in save rate (within 20 ft): 0.814.

This season

Save rate 0.880; an average goalie facing his shots would be at 0.910. League: 0.891.
Close-in save rate 0.750 on 8 close-in shots. League: 0.814.
Blended rating +0.13 goals saved per 100 shots, 30 of 76.
Small sample. Fewer than 300 shots this season; these numbers can move a lot.

How to read a card

Goals saved vs. an average goalie is the big number. Every shot that reaches the net or misses it has a chance of going in, based on where it came from and what kind of shot it was. Add up those chances on every shot a goalie faced and you get how many goals an average goalie would have allowed. Subtract the goals he actually allowed. Positive means he stopped more than an average goalie would have.

Save rate is the share of shots on goal he stopped; the league's is 0.891 this season. Close-in save is the same for shots from within 20 feet, the hardest ones; the league's is 0.814.

The blended rating on the back is our best estimate of how good he is, though goalie numbers bounce around a lot even over half a season. It adds this season's shots to half the weight of his shots from past seasons (back to 2023-24), plus 600 shots of league-average goaltending, so a dozen games can't swing it too far. As this season's shots pile up, they take over.

The source: the NHL's own play-by-play and our expected-goals model, the same one behind our Sabres stories. Cards marked small sample have fewer than 300 shots this season. Not affiliated with the NHL or any team; card designs are our own.

Updated daily. Cards are rebuilt every morning from the latest games. The value of every shot is re-balanced each day so the league's chances add up to the goals actually scored this season, so a player's chance-based numbers can move by a tenth or so even on a day he didn't play.