Varlamov Shining for the Islanders

Photo by Ben Jackson/NHLI via Getty Images
Photo by Ben Jackson/NHLI via Getty Images

It was not that long ago that the New York Islanders were out of a playoff spot in the extremely competitive Eastern Conference.

They were not playing well defensively, not capitalizing on their chances, not getting good goaltending, and were struggling on special teams. They looked like a team that deserved to be on the outside looking in when it came to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Do not look now, but as of this writing (Tuesday night, April 9), the Islanders are third in the Metropolitan Division, seventh in the Eastern Conference, and 15th in the NHL with a record of 37-27-15 for 87 points. While certain players have stepped up, the main reason why the Islanders are in a playoff spot is because of their goaltender, Semyon Varlamov.

Going into the season, it was supposed to be Ilya Sorokin who would lead the Islanders into the postseason. Sorokin, 28, was one of the best goaltenders in the league last season he was 31-22-0-7 with a 2.34 goals-against average, a .924 save percentage, and six shutouts.

It has been a much different season for Sorokin this year. He has been inconsistent, has allowed a lot of soft goals, and has had trouble coming up with the big saves as he is currently 24-19-0-11 with a 3.02 goals-against average, a .908 save percentage, and two shutouts.

With Sorokin struggling, Islanders’ head coach Patrick Roy turned to Varlamov. For Roy, Varlamov, 35, is someone he is familiar with, someone who helped him win a Jack Adams Award in 2014 as the best coach of the league in 2014 with the Colorado Avalanche, and someone that he knows can steal games for him.

Varlamov has done all of that and more for Roy over the last several games for Roy and his Islanders. He is currently 12-8-0-4 with a 2.72 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage, and three shutouts.

He has especially been good over his last six games. Varlamov has won five of them and has done the following in them:

Not only is Varlamov winning hockey games, but he is doing so in a convincing fashion. He is not allowing soft goals, is stopping the shots he should stop, is putting himself in a good position to stop second and third opportunities, and is also coming up with the big save when his team needs it the most.

Varlamov’s strong play as of late has earned a lot of praise from Roy. After his unbelievable performance against the Predators on Saturday night, Roy spoke glowingly of his goaltender to the team’s website reporter Cory Wright.

“He was outstanding. He looked so confident out there. It looked like it was an easy game and I was happy to see him play that way,” Roy said. “He won the game for us tonight.”

Roy also told The Hockey News’s Islanders reporter, Stefen Rosner, that the way Varlamov is playing is not a surprise to him.

“I’m not surprised. It’s funny because, before coming here, they told me how good he was in the playoffs, the series against Boston and Tampa (2021), the last one, losing 1-0 in Game Seven. Apparently, he was outstanding. But am I surprised? No.

“I have a Jack Adams because of him. So, I know how good he is. And I know what he could do when he gets in that zone.”

If Varlamov continues to be in the zone for the Islanders, they may end up shocking some people come playoff time.

Headed Into The New Year Inside The Rink

ITR 19: Conrad and Chris cover the firing of Derek LaLonde in Detroit, Mackenzie Blackwood's extension with the Avalanche, World Juniors Tournament updates, and more!
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Patrick Hoffman

Patrick covers the NHL for Inside The Rink. He has previously covered the league for The Ultimate Hockey Fan Cave, WTP Sports, Sportsnet.ca, Kukla’s Korner, Spector’s Hockey, NHL Network Radio blog, TheHockeyNews.com, The Fourth Period, Stan Fischler’s “The Fischler Report”, as well as a slew of others.

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