Thomas Greiss stands tall as Islanders take 3-1 series lead

Thanks to the play of Thomas Greiss, the New York Islanders are one win away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals

After the New York Islanders defeated the Philadelphia Flyers to take a 2-1 series lead on Saturday, these two teams went right back at it last night.

Given that it was the second of a back to back, both head coaches decided to start their backup netminders. For the Islanders, Thomas Greiss auditioned for this start in Game Two, after Semyon Varlamov was pulled in the first period. The German netminder came into that hockey game seeing his team trailing 3-0 and would have to be perfect to give his team a chance to come back.

And that he was, stopping 20 of 20 in regulation, as his team found a way to tie this game up late in the third and force overtime. A bad bounce in extra time would see the series tied at one, but Greiss stood tall and illustrated that he would be ready when called upon.

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As was expected, Varlamov started Game Three and bounced back nicely, using that much-needed rest to stop 26 of 27 shots in a 3-1 win. But now it was Greiss’s turn to build off his last appearance.

Flashback to the regular season, Greiss was terrible in the second half forcing Barry Trotz to ride Varlamov for the most part until the season came to a halt.

Greiss posted a 3.90 GAA and a .861% save percentage in seven games played. Because of his lackluster play, Varlamov was awarded the starting job, starting 20 of the last 27.

Game 4 would be a lot different than his last appearance, due to the fact that once he came into that hockey game a few days ago, the Islanders’ defense played shutdown hockey with Greiss not being tested too much.

So the question became, could Greiss shut the door when called upon against a Flyer team that has put a ton of pressure on the Islanders early in games. Well, ladies and gentlemen, the answer was yes.

The same way Brian Elliott was no Carter Hart, Greiss was no Varlamov, at least this season. But that did not mean he could not act like him for a game. Right out of the gate, Greiss was making sprawling saves left and right, bailing his team out as the Flyers had their skates, while the Islanders were still searching for theirs.

After a period and half of no goals, credit to both goalies, as Elliott was mimicking the play of Greiss on the other end, Brock Nelson would pick up his fourth of the postseason.

After an attempt to clear the puck out of their own zone, the Flyers watched Josh Bailey use his stick to knock the puck down right inside the blue line. He would look over to see his linemate Brock Nelson calling for the pass at the top of the right circle. Once the puck found his stick, he made no mistake, going top-shelf blocker side to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead.

With under five minutes to go in the middle frame, the Flyers would tie this hockey game up as Sean Couturier deflected a shot headed wide past Greiss, who had no chance.

The second period would come and go, with the Islanders being outshot 17-3, but thanks to the play of Greiss, the team still had a chance to come out on top.

Heading into the third, the Islanders knew they would need to step up their game, as they have done the whole entire playoffs in the final frame.

And their third-period magic would continue.

7:18 into the final frame, Jean-Gabriel Pageau would net his seventh of the postseason. Scott Mayfield would make a tremendous pass to find Pageau in stride, as he would beat Elliott through the wickets on a  short breakaway to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead.

Before this goal, Greiss made an incredible save to rob Flyers’ captain Claude Giroux.

The Islanders were not done scoring following the Pageau tally.  A couple of minutes later, Nelson would net his second of the game, a crucial insurance goal, to take a 3-1 lead. I would try to explain this goal, but I’ll let the video do the talking, as the passing was phenomenal.

While it looked like the Islanders had this one locked in the bag, given their ability to play shutdown hockey late in games, the Flyers had other ideas.

With the net empty and the extra attacker on the ice, Ivan Provorov would take wrister from the point, which found a way through traffic and past Greiss, who was sliding in the opposite direction.

https://twitter.com/TheReplayGuy/status/1300262899831771136

Greiss clearly did not read this puck very well, but regardless the Islanders still had a 3-2 lead with 1:05 to go in regulation.

The team from the island would hold on to take a commanding 3-1 series lead, as Greiss really bailed his team out. He ended the night, stopping 36 of 38, with many jaw-dropping saves. The Flyers had opportunities to bury the Islanders early, but a confidence Greiss did not let that happen.

I would be remiss to not mention that Bailey picked up another two assists tonight, making that 11 assists in 13 games, as he has been a point per game player throughout the entirety of these expanded playoffs (2G 11A).

But the main storyline was Greiss. After the egregious play from him before the playoffs, and the masterful work Varlamov was displaying in the playoffs, it was shocking that Greiss was even called upon at all. But Trotz needed him to stand tall in Game Two, and when he saw he could do that, Trotz had full confidence in his ability to do that again in Game Four.

“You talk about the ultimate goal partner for anybody,” Trotz stated in his press conference after the game. “Thomas Greiss is it…Tonight he was outstanding”.

That he was.

The Islanders now have a chance to advance to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in 27 years, if they can pick up a Game Five win when the puck drops at 7 PM on Tuesday. While Greiss will more than likely watch this game from the bench, his play in this series cannot be overlooked and will be a major talking point if the Islanders can close it out.