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The Skinny: Carolina 6, Isles 3 (Carolina wins series 4-1)

"The Skinny" By Eric Hornick Eastern Conference Round 1, Game 5 Carolina 6, Isles 3 Carolina Wins Series 4-1 School is out. Jack D...

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Step 1: Check. #isles sign Halak

Jaroslav Halak will be an Islander for more than a few months; he has agreed to a 4-year deal with the team, worth a reported $18 million.

Halak, who the Isles acquired from Washington on May 1st for the 4th round pick they acquired in the Peter Regin/Pierre-Marc Bouchard deal, was expected to be one of the top goalies on the free-agent market this summer.

Halak, who turned 29 last week, went 29-13-7 for St. Louis and Washington this season, compiling a 2.25 GAA and a 92.1% save percentage.  Both his GAA and save percentage were better than his career figures, which both rank 5th among all active goalies.

Halak, who won the Jennings Trophy (Best team goals against) in 2011-12 has twice finished in the top 10 in the Vezina balloting. He has also twice represented his country in the Olympics.

Halak holds a career record of 144-85-29, meaning that he has won well over 50% of his career decisions.  To put in perspective, only one goaltender in Islander history has won more than 50% of his career decisions-- Chico Resch went 157-69-47 as an Islander.
 
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

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