The Greiss Is Right
The national media carried out their perfunctory analysis of the Islanders goaltending situation at the start of the playoffs by essentially dooming them to a short series because of the goalie disparity.
After all, Roberto Luongo has been one of the top goalies in the game for years now, and was a huge factor in the Panthers claiming the Atlantic Division crown. Meanwhile across the ice, Thomas Greiss would be stepping onto the playoff stage for the first time as the number one option for a team.
Advantage Cats, right?
Luongo has looked the part of a franchise goalie, but Greiss has been nowhere near the liability he was made out to be for the Islanders.
His .923 Save Percentage and 2.83 GAA are roughly in the ballpark of what his regular season statistics were, and considering how thoroughly the Panthers offense has been able to dominate the Islanders defense, it’s a testament to Greiss’s ability his numbers aren’t worse. His rebound control in Game 3 was worrisome, but if Greiss is able to get that aspect of his game under control, there is no doubt he can backstop this team to playoff success.
