Derek Lalonde explains Detroit Red Wings' thinking on having all three goalies travel
Had James Reimer been in Philadelphia, he could have dressed should the Detroit Red Wings have needed him.
They were down to one goaltender after Alex Lyon suffered an upper-body injury in the second period of the 1-0 loss to the Flyers on Saturday, forcing Ville Husso to make quick work of putting on his helmet and getting to the crease. Goalies don't get a warm-up in those situations, but Husso handled it with aplomb, even as he came in just as the Flyers were going on a power play.
"It's not the easiest spot to go in," Husso said after Monday's morning skate. "You never want to see anybody get hurt. But at the same time, you always kind of prepare yourself to play in the game, even if you're not playing.
"I feel like it was easy to just jump in right away — I was like, just go in, have fun, no pressure."
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Once a situation like that happens, the emergency backup goaltender that every arena has available during a game went to the Wings' dressing room in case he was needed. But if Reimer had been in Philly, he could have dressed, even though he wasn't on the game roster. A team can't do that with skaters, but Derek Lalonde said goalies are allowed.
"He could have dressed," Lalonde said.
Even so, Lalonde said the Wings are unlikely to start taking all three goaltenders on the road when it's only for one game. For one thing Saturday, they did not have ice at Wells Fargo Center in the morning, so in that case, so there was no skate.
"There was a lacrosse game there," Lalonde said. "It made no sense. It was way more productive to have him back and get some really good reps here."
Lyon did not skate Monday. He went down awkwardly in the second period, and immediately was pulled. He was seen by the Flyers' medical doctor in the third period after first getting treatment by his own team's trainers.
"I thought that it was one thing and I think that I was fortunate that it was not that," Lyon said. "I think it was mostly out of fear — you know your body and you know how things feel, and something happens, and you're like, 'oh man, this could be something that is scary.' It turned out that it wasn't that. I was pretty fortunate.
"I'm feeling pretty good today and I'm optimistic I'll skate sooner rather than later."
The Wings play Wednesday at the Winnipeg Jets, Friday at home against the Flyers, and at the New Jersey Devils on Saturday before entering the three-day Christmas break.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Derek Lalonde: Detroit Red Wings' thinking on three goalies traveling
