Jaroslav Halak started between the pipes for the second game in a row Monday, marking just the second time this year an Islanders goalie has made consecutive starts.
Despite giving up a pair of first-period goals — a short-hander on a bad line change and a power-play strike — the netminder rewarded coach Doug Weight for his decision.
Halak limited further damage by the aggressive Golden Knights and kept his teammates in it early before they came alive in the offensive zone for a 6-3 win at Barclays Center.
Thomas Greiss (five starts) has yet to start in back-to-back games for the Islanders while Monday was the second time Halak, who finished with 31 saves in his seventh start, got the opportunity.
“[Halak’s] numbers and the way he’s played, he’s probably outplayed Thomas to this point in those games,” Weight said. “We were thinking of two days off before we play Washington [on Thursday]. Just decided to talk with [goaltending coach Fred Brathwaite] for a while and decided to do it.”
While Weight is riding the hot hand, it doesn’t mean he’s settled on a true No. 1 goalie.
“It really means — that’s the honest truth, [Halak] has kind of outplayed [Greiss] over the last week,” he said.
Mathew Barzal’s second-period goal was only his third of the year to go with four assists, but the 20-year-old rookie again brought an electric presence to the ice and is taking advantage of flying under the radar while he still can.
“I think he will surprise some guys,” Weight said. “The league is so vast now that unless a guy has 12 or 13 points at the age of 19 or 20, they’re probably not noticing him as much. I think his numbers have not really reflected the way he’s played. He’s generated a lot.”
Defenseman Mark Streit announced his retirement Monday after 12 seasons in the NHL, four of which came with the Islanders. The 39-year old played in two games with the Canadiens this season before deciding to hang up his skates for good.
“Really great guy and a great teammate,” Weight said. “I got to play with Mark for four years. Great career, really good talent.”
When Maxime Lagace made his NHL debut in the second period after Oscar Dansk was injured, he became the fourth Golden Knights goalie to play in their 10 games this season.
Their opening night starter, Marc-Andre Fleury, has been sidelined with a concussion issue, while Malcolm Subban has joined him on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.