When it comes to hockey, good goaltending can carry you a long way. That rings even more true in the playoffs, where a hot goaltender can carry you all the way to a Stanley Cup. Catching fire and staying hot for two months is much easier than doing so over the course of an 82 game season.
This year, the Islanders turned in maybe the most surprising season in the league, totaling 103 points, good for second in the Metropolitan division and home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. There were many contributing factors to the Islanders’ success this year, but none more so than the play of goaltenders Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss.