Goaltending
Thank the Lord for Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss.
While the defense, which shined in 2014-15 thanks to stellar performances by Nick Leddy, Johnny Boychuk, Travis Hamonic, Calvin de Haan and Lubomir Visnovsky, has struggled immensely from the start, the duo of Islanders netminders have been extremely impressive.
“It’s what I expect, to be honest with you,” Isles head coach Jack Capuano said. “You sign guys to be an impact on your team. Both guys work hard and you expect them to play well and they’ve done that.”
Halak, 30, is 9-4-3 with a sizzling 2.04 GAA and .926 SV%. Up until last week, he had the best goals against average in the league. Greiss, 29, is 9-3-2 with an outstanding 2.03 GAA and .933 SV%. Brought in to replace Michal Neuvirth as the team’s backup goaltender, the Fussen, Germany native has risen up to the challenge and given New York their first legitimate backup netminder in more than a decade.
