Greiss gets it done as Isles win third straight

Makes 52 saves as New York pulls out OT victory in Montreal

January 16, 2018 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Thomas Greiss shook off a season of frustration to have his best game of the year Monday night in Montreal, making a career-high 52 saves in the Islanders’ 5-4 overtime victory over the Canadiens. AP Photo by Matt Slocum

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Having lost six of his previous seven starts, beleaguered Islanders goaltender Thomas Greiss was in desperate need of a confidence-boosting performance Monday night in Montreal.

He finally got one by making a career-high 52 saves to backstop New York to a 5-4 overtime victory over the Canadiens in front of a sellout crowd of 21,302 fans at the Bell Centre.

“As far as tonight goes, it was a great effort from him,” Islanders head coach Doug Weight said of Greiss, who had to face a whopping 43 shots over the final 42 minutes before team captain John Tavares stuffed his own rebound past Montreal goalie Carey Price at 1:51 of the extra session.

“Those are the types of games and wins that can build his confidence,” Weight added.

Greiss, who had been relegated to backing up primary goaltender Jaroslav Halak after the duo began the season splitting duty, was winless since Dec. 16, and carried an unsightly 3.89 goals-against average heading into the showdown with Price.

But the 31-year-old German found a way to navigate his way through a ferocious Montreal attack as the Canadiens outshot New York 56-24.

Greiss came up biggest in OT, when he stopped a pair of point-blank attempts that actually helped set up Tavares’ rush the other way for the winning tally.

“He was a rock tonight, he was our backbone,” Isles super rookie Mathew Barzal said after picking up a goal and two assists in the rejuvenated team’s third consecutive win since a season-high five-game losing streak.

“He made some huge saves, especially that one in overtime, to keep us alive,” added Barzal, who leads all NHL first-year players with 47 points. “He played great and was our first star tonight.”

Tavares finished with two goals and Anthony Beauvillier and Adam Pelech also scored for New York (23-18-4), which jumped one point ahead of the archrival New York Rangers for the final wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference standings.

Greiss was expected to be back on the bench behind Halak for Tuesday night’s game against New Jersey at Downtown’s Barclays Center following his finest performance of the year.

But for one night, at least, the struggling goalie could feel confident that he had contributed to the Isles’ postseason push.

“It’s huge,” Greiss admitted. “A big win and a big two points for the guys.”