Backup goalie gives Islanders hope where they need it most
Maybe it’ll be a footnote after this season that Thomas Greiss started the first two games in nets for the Islanders.
Because if Robin Lehner plays like he did in the team’s 4-0 win over the Sharks on Monday afternoon at Barclays Center, the starting job will be his.
In his season and team debut, Lehner stopped all 35 shots he faced to become the first goaltender to post a shutout in his Islanders debut. It was his ninth career shutout, and it came against a Stanley Cup contender no less.
It was a big moment for Lehner, who has chronicled his battle with bipolar depression and substance abuse. Islanders president Lou Lamoriello took a low-risk chance when he signed the talented 6-foot-4 Swede to a one-year, $1.5 million deal this summer.
“I try to just move forward here, but obviously it’s a little bit special,” Lehner said. “It felt real good, back in the game again, doing what I love, perfectly healthy. I feel better than I ever [have]. This is the start of a new chapter with a new team and a new city, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Lehner, 27, had some decent years with the Sabres, including 2015-16 when he posted a .924 save percentage. The Islanders have needed a No. 1 goalie for some time, with Greiss struggling last season, the first on his three-year, $10 million deal.
Greiss had been good in the season opener in Carolina and not so much in the home opener against the Predators. But Lehner was terrific throughout this one, perfectly positioned to give the San Jose shooters little to work with before his team took the lead.
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“I was a little bit nervous in the beginning, to be honest,” Lehner said. “Then we got a couple easy ones and I settled down a little bit. I’ve been feeling good this week in practice. I’ve been feeling good in camp. I’m going to keep building there.”
It’ll be interesting to see how first-year Islanders coach Barry Trotz deals with this goaltending situation, but if Lehner keeps playing like this, it won’t be a hard decision.
“I think when you’re with the team, everybody in the room is supporting everybody else,” Trotz said. “We don’t know exactly what he has to go through every day. But he’s got a great support system, from management all the way down to his teammates and the coaching staff and trainers. We’re there for him all the time, and he’s there for us.”
The Islanders penalty kill went 4-for-4 and is now 8-for-8 on the season. They were last in the league last season with a 73.2 percent success rate.
“It’s been good,” forward Cal Clutterbuck said. “We have a solid foundation. I think we understand what can beat us, and we understand how to defend that. We’ve been hard on faceoffs, hard on clears, and we’re committed to blocking shots when things go awry. That’s what you get.”
Forward Tom Kuhnhackl made his Islanders debut, shaking on a line with Leo Komarov and Valterri Filppula, hitting a post late in the first period. He replaced Tanner Fritz.
Defenseman Scott Mayfield made his season debut, scoring a goal in the second period. He replaced Luca Sbisa.
The lineup adjustment also put the Nick Leddy-Johnny Boychuk duo back together — moving Leddy back to his natural left side — while Mayfield skated alongside Thomas Hickey.
The announced attendance at Barclays Center was 8,790, the lowest since the Islanders moved to Brooklyn.