Injury to sideline Islanders’ Jaroslav Halak at least six weeks

New York Islanders goaltender Jaroslav Halak will miss a minimum of six weeks after suffering a lower-body injury late in Tuesday night’s game win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

With 4:22 left in the third, Halak stretched to make a save and then crumbled seemingly in discomfort. Thomas Greiss came in and backstopped the Islanders to the 2-1 win.

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“It happens,” Greiss said according to Newsday after the game. “When you come in like that, you get into it pretty quick. The guys did a great job. I didn’t really have that much to do.”

With the 30-year-old Halak now out for an extended period, it appears Greiss will be New York’s playoff starter. In his career, he has played just one postseason game. Halak is a veteran of 30 playoff games, and helped the Montreal Canadiens to a surprise trip to the 2010 Eastern Conference Final.

Halak has started 36 games this season with a 2.30 goal-against average and .919 save percentage. The 30-year-old Greiss has outplayed Halak at points and has a 2.20 goal-against average and .930 save percentage.

The Islanders have swept aside any issues in regards to a goaltending controversy in the past, noting Greiss gets more goal support than Halak. 

“When you have a hot goalie and he’s playing well, you want to play him,” coach Jack Capuano said in mid-February. “But again, we always take into account, on the back-to-back, what stats they might have had against those teams and in years past.”

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper