New York Islanders Thomas Greiss Get Second Star Honors

Jan 22, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Islanders goaltender Thomas Greiss makes a save against the Philadelphia Flyers during the third period at Barclays Center. The flyers won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 22, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Islanders goaltender Thomas Greiss makes a save against the Philadelphia Flyers during the third period at Barclays Center. The flyers won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

It’s not every day that the NHL comes down from their ivory tower and reminds the hockey world that the New York Islanders exist and have fantastic players. Yesterday was one of those days as Thomas Greiss received second-star honors.

In his las three starts, Thomas Greiss has a .978 SV% with two back-to-back shutouts, winning his team four valuable points. It would have been a shock had he not been named in the league’s three stars.

The other two named were Pittsburgh Penguins Conor Sheary with nine points his last five and the Washington Capitals T.J. Oshie with eight in the same span. With Greiss, it’s a full Metropolitan sweep of the weekly awards.

Which nicely encapsulates what the Islanders are up against in their un-probable march to the playoffs. No matter how good they might be, the others in the division are just as good. And, more importantly, don’t slip up as often.

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Dropped Points

Against the Flyers Greiss was the Islanders only working part. He stopped 44 of 47 shots by the Flyers as he dragged the Islanders to overtime and the extra point.

Had it not been for a nice glove stop by Steve Mason in the extra frame, and a clumsy Calvin de Haan who rammed his own goalie out of the play, the Isles might have escaped with the two points.

Slip ups like that are what’s costing the Islanders in the standings. A single point is better than nothing. But if it wasn’t for their second star of the week between the pipes, they certainly wouldn’t have made it to OT.

At this point of the season, the Isles can’t afford silly slip-ups like that. The game against the Flyers was very much a four-point game for the Isles and they took one.

Next: Islanders Should Sign Greiss...Like Now

Greiss is at least the man behind the crease for the Isles for the remainder of the season. He’s shown that he gives the Isles a chance every time he’s in the crease. Maybe the Isles should think about signing him in the near future…just a thought.

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