Sabres’ Alex Lyon sets new Buffalo record after beating Kings

Into the record books of the Buffalo Sabres did goaltender Alex Lyon write his name Thursday night, achieving a decagon of consecutive wins while subduing the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 at KeyBank Center. Lyon, who made a season-high 37 saves, surpassed Gerry Desjardins’ 1976 precedent of nine straight wins, giving him sole possession of the longest winning streak in Buffalo’s history.

It all started with Buffalo’s overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 9, and since then, Lyon’s run has lined up perfectly with a Sabres surge that’s seen them win 20 of their last 24 games (20-3-1). Over his current streak, Lyon boasts a 1.94 goals-against average (GAA) and a .933 save percentage. On the season, he is 13-6-3 with a 2.62 GAA and a .914 save percentage — numbers strong enough to put him in the Vezina conversation, though Tampa Bay Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy leads the race in most eyes.

Alex Tuch led Buffalo’s offense with his fourth career hat trick, extending his season goal total to 22. Having scored 10 goals in January alone, Tuch has reached the 20-goal milestone for the fourth straight season and fifth overall. His first tally on Thursday came on a power-play goal 7:14 into the first period, a turnaround shot from the right circle that deflected off Kings defenseman Cody Ceci. Mattias Samuelsson followed with a slap shot from the blue line at 11:17, extending his career-best five-game point streak to eight points (one goal, seven assists). Tuch added his second goal at 6:29 of the second period, tipping in a shot from Bowen Byram, and concluded the night with an empty-net goal late in the third.

Jack Quinn contributed three assists, while Ryan McLeod added two, helping the Sabres stretch their team winning streak to five games. Buffalo reigned over the faceoff circle, winning 63 percent of draws, with eminent performances from Tage Thompson (8-for-15), Ryan McLeod (10-for-17), Peyton Krebs (6-for-9), and Jason Zucker (4-for-4). Points from the blue line remain a strength for the Sabres, who rank among the league leaders, with Dahlin and Byram helping set up Samuelsson’s goal.

For Los Angeles, Adrian Kempe scored their only goal 7:47 into the second period on a re-direction from Kevin Fiala, and goalie Darcy Kuemper made 28 saves. The Kings entered the contest with a six-game point streak (3-0-3), which came to an end against the hot Sabres.

With the triumph, Buffalo occupies third place in the Atlantic Division with 67 points, tied with the Montreal Canadiens but ahead via a game in hand. The Sabres will continue their homestand with a rematch against Montreal on Saturday, a contest fraught with playoff consequences as both sides vie for divisional supremacy.

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