Storyline: Thomas Greiss will replace Jaroslav Halak in net for the NY Islanders in the 2016 NHL Playoffs. It’s Greiss’ opportunity to show he can be a No. 1 NHL goaltender. Written by Leslie Monteiro, Fort Lee, NJ
With Jaroslav Halak not playing in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs the Islanders will turn to Thomas Greiss as their goaltender for the series against the Florida Panthers. The Islanders shouldn’t expect Halak to play in this year’s playoffs.
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First of all, it’s going to be hard for Halak to get back in the groove after recovering from a groin injury. Second, it’s too much to ask him to come back from an injury that’s hard to heal.
This is an opportunity for Greiss, his shot to prove he’s the guy who can help the Islanders advance for the first time since 1993. It’s also a platform to convince Islanders’ brass that he can lead the team to the Stanley Cup, short-term and long-term. And it’s his first–and it could be his last–time to show that he can be a No.1 goaltender in the NHL.
Greiss has to make the most of it.
To say there’s no pressure on him is an understatement. There’s a lot on the line for goaltenders in the playoffs: their play is the difference between a team advancing and a team watching for the rest of the playoffs.
Griess knows it’s ‘on him’ for the Islanders to advance. It’s time for the Islanders to finally get past the first round and, this year, the team is positioned to do it. The club tanked during the last two regular season games in an attempt to play an easier opponent (in the Panthers) rather than play a Penguins team that matches up really well against them.
The Islanders have expressed faith in Greiss. They talked about him playing well this season by citing his .925 save percentage and 23-11-4 in 41 appearances.
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But you’d expect them to say that publicly. With Halak not playing they have no choice but to believe in him. But, realistically, they don’t know what to expect. If they had their druthers, they’d prefer Halak to start. He has won playoff series before and he played great in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals last year against the Capitals.
But the Islanders can’t look back now. They have to hope for the best from Greiss. To Greiss’ credit, he’s ready. He feels he is the ‘right guy.’ And he should feel that way based on how he performed this season.
Confidence is an important intangible for a player that plays an important position, such as pitcher, quarterback, point guard, and goaltender. Greiss has that going for him. It helps that he has won games to help get that confidence.
Greiss will need every confidence he can get. Playoff hockey is different than regular season hockey. Games are much faster in April than during the dog days of the season. Everything comes quickly. It’s up to the 30-year-old goaltender to have the right temperament to handle everything that’s going to him. That means he can’t overthink it. But that’s easier said than done.
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It’s a pressure Greiss embraces. It beats sitting on the bench and watching somebody else in the nets. He has been waiting to start a big game in his career and he’ll finally get his chance. He can outplay Roberto Luongo, too, who has a maddening habit of giving up bad goals in the playoffs.
If the Islanders goaltender can do his job then the Islanders have a good chance of winning this round against the Panthers.
The Islanders are banking on him. For Greiss, he’s ready to get it going.
