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New York Islanders Four Players With Incredible Bounce Back Seasons

TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 29: Brock Nelson #29 of the New York Islanders skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on December 29, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Islanders defeated the Maple Leafs 4-0.(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 29: Brock Nelson #29 of the New York Islanders skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on December 29, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Islanders defeated the Maple Leafs 4-0.(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 20: Thomas Greiss #1 of the New York Islanders takes a break during a stop in play in the second period of a game against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on December 20, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Islanders 4-2. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Thomas Greiss

Robin Lehner gets a ton of attention for the work he’s done between the pipes for the New York Islanders. Credit that he absolutely deserves of course. But that means that we tend to forget about Thomas Greiss and we shouldn’t.

Thomas Greiss had one heck of a season this year. Something no one saw coming last season.

After the 2017-18 season, Thomas Greiss held a 3.82GAA and a 0.892SV%. Horrendous numbers. He just didn’t seem like he was his old self anymore. Remember when Greiss stepped in for an injured Jaroslav Halak in 2015-16 and he almost single handily won that first round of the playoffs against the Florida Panthers? Greiss couldn’t stop a beachball in 2017-18.

To be fair to him, the system that was being played in front of him did nothing to support him. The Islanders not only bled shots, but they bled quality chances. Neither Greiss nor Jaroslav Halak was any good in 2017-18.

But this season, with a sturdy defensive system in front of him, Thomas Greiss bounced-back, and in a big way.

With 43 games played in 2018-19, Greiss held a 2.28GAA and a 0.927SV%. Ranking him fourth and fifth in the league, respectively. Greiss was able to shave off 1.54 goals against on average and stop an extra 0.035 percent of the shots he faced. Over a single season, Greiss went from the bottom of his profession to the top.

So while Robin Lehner gets a ton of deserved credit for his play this season, we can’t forget about what Thomas Greiss has done.

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