Sansided
Eyes On Isles
Home/Editorials

New York Islanders Best All-Decade Starting Lineup

UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - APRIL 10: The New York Islanders celebrate their victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on April 10, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. The Islanders defeated the Penguins 4-3 in overtime.(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - APRIL 10: The New York Islanders celebrate their victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on April 10, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. The Islanders defeated the Penguins 4-3 in overtime.(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 7
Next
new york islanders
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 24: Thomas Greiss #1 of the New York Islanders sports a newly painted mask prior to the game against the Florida Panthers at the Barclays Center on October 24, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Panthers defeated the Islanders 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Goalie | Thomas Greiss

Talk about a position with only a few options to chose from. For most NHL team’s they likely had a regular starter that was in the crease for most of the decade. The New York Islanders didn’t have that player.

It could have been Roberto Luongo who only had two sub-0.910SV% seasons for the period in question. It could have been Rick Di Pietro also. But Luongo was traded away in favor of Di Pietro. And we all know how things ended with Di Pietro.

But the honor goes to Thomas Greiss who was with the Islanders since the 2015-16 season.

In the four-season since the Islanders acquired Thomas Greiss through free agency, he’s played in 162 games. Since 2009, only Jaroslav Halak has played more games in the net (177) for the Islanders.

In those 162 games, Greiss has 85 wins, a 0.916SV%, a 2.69GAA, and ten shutouts. Halak might have more wins (88) but Greiss has a better win ratio (0.53). Greiss also has a better save percentage and equals Halak in terms of goals-against average.

And the last time I checked Thomas Greiss has never once complained about the Garth Snow three-headed monster situation. Greiss showed up every day and did his job, and did it well.

Not to mention that on the back of Thomas Greiss’s 2015-16 season where he averaged a 0.926SV% and 2.36GAA the Islanders probably don’t make the playoffs. And without Greiss’s 0.923SV% and 2.46GAA in the playoffs, they don’t win their first post-season series in 23 years.

You could argue that Jaroslav Halak was the team’s better goalie over the decade because he has move wins. Sure, but Greiss has a better win ratio and he’s either as good or better than Halak. If you argue for Halak you’d be wrong.

Honorable Mention: Jaroslav Halak, Evgeni Nabokov

facebooktwitterreddit