BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Thomas Greiss might be the most laid back goaltender in the National Hockey League.
In conversation, the 30-year-old New York Islanders goalie is agreeable and friendly. His demeanour, his tone, even his posture all radiates a sense of ‘chill’.
Greiss’ goaltending style similarly conveys a sense of looseness. Though his position has evolved to become more rigid and technical, Greiss has stuck with a throwback style that’s based more on feel. He relies on reading the play, rather than conforming to a strict inside-outside approach.
“I’m not the most technical goalie,” Greiss told Sportsnet ahead of a crucial Game 3 overtime victory against the Florida Panthers on Sunday. “I don’t always do the same stuff religiously. I play on feel. I play a read game.
“Some guys have great success being robotic, doing the same thing over and over again. They’re playing their percentages. And some guys it’s just, like the Ryan Miller style, you play your reads. You have to play to your strengths.”
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Greiss’ strengths lie in feeling the game and in his uncanny sense of timing. He’s more of an artist than a shot blocker.
The German-born Greiss broke into the league with the San Jose Sharks in 2007 and has been generally utilized as a backup. He’s never played more than the 41 games he appeared in this year and has played for four different organizations in the past four seasons, a testament to his vagabond status.
Greiss says that he’s actually benefitted from bouncing around. He’s had a diverse set of perspectives and experiences.
“You pick up little bits here and there and it just adds to your overall game,” Greiss said.
“I get to mix it up with a bunch of different goalie coaches and see the games a little different, play a little different.”
Perhaps it’s that Greiss’ relaxed demeanour is misinterpreted as aloofness, or maybe it’s easy to project a lack of competitive fire onto his loose style of play. But for whatever reason, Greiss has never seemed to earn serious consideration for an everyday starter’s job. It’s strange because Greiss’ results over nearly a decade have generally been stellar.
Greiss was second in the NHL this season among goaltenders who started at least 20 games by ‘inner slot save percentage’ — ahead of Braden Holtby, Corey Crawford and Brian Elliott, according to Sportlogiq. Those shots from the inner slot are, according to the Montreal-based player-tracking firm, the most difficult ones to stop.
Greiss has also consistently been an above average goaltender throughout his NHL career in overall save percentage. Greiss has a .930 save percentage in 5-on-5 situations since the beginning of his career, according to hockeyanalysis.com. That’s a genuinely elite save rate. It matches what New York Rangers superstar Henrik Lundqvist has accomplished over a similar period, although Greiss has played much more sparingly.
At some point, surely, the hockey world will stop being so surprised when Greiss plays as well as he has in New York’s first-round playoff series against the Panthers.
Filling in for usual Islanders starter Jaroslav Halak, who sustained a groin injury in early March, Greiss has been a key factor in New York’s 2-1 series lead over Florida.
Starting three games in four nights and facing a Panthers top-six forward group that has consistently run roughshod over his own club’s defensive structure, Greiss has stopped more than 92 per cent of all shots faced. In Game 1 he had a signature moment – a stunning game-saving save on Jaromir Jagr with a minute to go.
Greiss has almost singlehandedly held Florida’s dynamic top line to just a single goal and he’s narrowly outduelled a probable Vezina Trophy nominee in Roberto Luongo.
“They’re just creating good opportunities, good rebound chances,” Greiss said of facing Florida’s top-two lines. “They’re working their asses off and playing hard.”
If the Islanders goaltender can continue to play this well, the Panthers – who entered the series as prohibitive favourites – will be in trouble. And perhaps Greiss can earn an extended opportunity to keep his ball cap in the locker-room.
Even if none of his previous teams have seemed to agree with him, the 30-year-old journeyman has never really viewed himself as a career backup. He believes he has more to give and that he just needed an opportunity.
“You can never be satisfied,” Greiss said. ”You can’t be satisfied being a backup goalie or you won’t be long for the league.
“You have to get lucky. There are a lot of great goalies out there. Sometimes you need an injury to get in there. Luck and timing is everything.”
