J-F Berube is in a strange spot so far in training camp, with his seven games of NHL experience making him the senior member of the Islanders goaltending corps.
That’s because Jaroslav Halak and Thomas Greiss are busy trying to shock the hockey world (Halak more so than Greiss) with Team Europe in the World Cup final against Canada that begins Tuesday. So Berube, along with Christopher Gibson and younger prospects Stephon Williams and Eamon McAdam, are manning the nets and waiting for the two veterans to return.
And then the real strangeness begins. Berube endured the shortest end of the stick in last season’s three-goaltender arrangement, basically serving as a practice goaltender until Halak’s season-ending injury in March.