New York Islanders Daily: Jaroslav Halak Starts Third Game In A Row

The New York Islanders have two capable goalies. With Jaroslav Halak looking better early on this year he gets his third start in a row.

2016-2017 was a weird year for New York Islanders goalies. The three goalie system was a clear disaster, and Jaroslav Halak ended up in the AHL. Granted, Halak came on strong down the stretch for the Islanders. They nearly made a run to playoffs on the back of Halak but fell just short in the end.

It’s funny how much a difference one year can make. Halak’s played strong out of the gate while Thomas Greiss has struggled early on this year. Today, Halak will make his third start in a row as the Isles begin to stray away from the 1a and 1b tandem with Greiss and Halak.

In eight games so far this year, Jaroslav Halak has a .916 save percentage, which is just about his career average (.917). In addition, he’s got a 2.66 goals against average and a .571 quality start percentage which is above league average (.530).

Greiss on the other hand, as we mentioned, hasn’t had so much luck. In five games, he’s got a .898 save percentage a 3.70 goals against average and has two “really bad starts” (starts with save percentages lower than 85 percent).

Luckily, the Islanders have the ability to play the hot hand. That’s what having two, quality, NHL goalies will give you. Right now Halak is hot so you can ride him out.

That doesn’t mean Greiss is now classified as the backup for the rest of the year. He’ll get plenty of chances, it just makes sense to keep trotting Halak out there with the team playing so well.

In years past Greiss has shown he plays better when he splits time, as opposed to being the main goalie for an extended period of time. He’ll be just fine.

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