Islanders praise Greiss after strong Game 1 performance

Thomas Greiss continues to make his presence felt for the New York Islanders.

After jumping out to a 4-1 lead, the Islanders escaped with a 5-3 win, much thanks to a 33-save performance from Greiss as the Tampa Bay Lightning tilted the ice for the third period.

Greiss has dazzled thus far in the postseason, posting a 5-2 record with a 1.94 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage. His teammates have taken notice.

"You don't want to rely on him as much as we had to, but he's been fantastic," said Islanders forward Ryan Strome.

Kyle Okposo knows the outcome of Game 1 could have been much different if it weren't for his netminder.

"They made a good push," Okposo said. "But Greisser stood tall and as a team we were able to weather the storm."

Game 2 goes Saturday afternoon in Tampa Bay.