Red Wings Enjoying Luxury of Two Hot Goalies

Detroit Red Wings coach Todd McLellan is living the life of luxury in many ways at the moment. The Wings are 15-4-1 in 20 games with him in charge. They’ve moved into an NHL playoff spot.

So many factors are going into this positive turnaround for a team that seemed destined to be eligible for a prime lottery slot in the 2025 NHL entry draft prior to Christmas. No small part of that process is the fact that McLellan call confidently call upon either of his goalies to stand between the pipes safe in the knowledge he’ll be receiving world-class puckstopping.

Both Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon are delivering the goods on a nightly basis.

CAM TALBOT SLAMS THE DOOR SHUT TO SECURE THE SHUTOUT! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/MMdEUx6nde

— NHL (@NHL) January 26, 2025

“I think it’s essential,” McLellan said of having two goalies he can count on. “Often you have two goalies but one’s not playing as well so you run the hot one and try to get the other one playing again.”

McLellan was able to alternate his goalies during the club’s four-game Western win streak. As the team comes home to face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, Alex Lyon gets the nod in net.

“We’re fortunate both are playing well and contributing to the team’s success,” McLellan said. “They play off each other, they both practice hard.

“We haven’t had to go and rescue a goalie yet, if I’m trying to find a word, recover and rescue a goalie that hasn’t played well and overrun another one. So that makes the dual goaltender luxury even better.”

Both Red Wings Netminders Posting Stellar Numbers

According to data compiled by Mike Kelly of Sport Logiq and the NHL Network, over the past two weeks, only the New York Islanders netminders (8.4) are displaying a better goals saved above expected than Detroit (7.2).

“They’ve been awesome,” Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat said. “Big saves when we need them.

“They’re our best players right now. Hopefully they can keep that going.”

Lyon is 8-2-1 in his last 11 decisions. He allowed two goals or fewer in five of his last six starts and hasn’t lost back-to-back games since mid-November.

First, show me a good record and I’ll show you good goaltending. In the last 2 weeks, only the Isles goalies have played at a higher level…. pic.twitter.com/3abu3SZBtm

— Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyNHL) February 7, 2025

Counterpart Cam Talbot has won five games in a row and his save percentage has finished above .920 in four of those five wins. He is 10-1 over his past 11 decisions. He’s allowed two goals or fewer in seven of his last 10 starts.

“When the team is going like this you want to step in there and give us a chance to win every night,” Talbot said.

Goalies Are Taking Charge

When goaltenders are in a groove the way Lyon and Talbot currently are, they’re doing more than merely stopping the puck. They are taking charge of the game, reading the play, controlling the tempo.

“I think game management skills for goaltenders are huge,” McLellan said. “Understanding the momentum of a game, how tired maybe your team is.

“Are you playing back to backs. Can you slow it down, can you speed it up? And they can. It’s like a catcher in baseball a little bit, where he can dictate the tempo of a game.

“I think that’s huge. Both of these guys are veterans. They understand that part of the game. And then there’s a goalie part – the saves, the rebounds. But the game management is important.”