Patrick Roy surely didn’t intend to lay out his reasons for sticking with Semyon Varlamov in net when asked Tuesday morning if he would do so for a must-win Game 3 against Carolina, but – although he doesn’t say that was the plan – that’s exactly what the Islanders coach did.
“We haven’t made a decision yet on what we’re going to do. Varly was phenomenal for us down the stretch,” Roy said. “If we reach the playoffs, he will have a big role to play.
“What I like about Varly is that he kept a lot of pucks. This is a team that likes to shoot a lot. They shoot everywhere. They may have even taken a photo from outside the building. Ultimately, they are very active offensively. They love putting the puck on net, they love driving towards the net. So Varly kept a lot of pucks around him and that’s what I like about Varly. Not giving away too many rebounds and keeping those pucks, and I think that helps our “D.”
What’s not said: Poor rebound control is one of the reasons Ilya Sorokin lost his starting job in the first place.
Roy would be right to worry that this could be a problem against a Carolina team that’s going to draw looks at the net even on its worst night, let alone an Islanders team that couldn’t effectively possess, or even clear, the puck for the most part. from a 5-3 defeat in Game 2.
Moving away from Sorokin at the end of the regular season was the right decision at the moment, and Varlamov’s play down the stretch is the main reason the Islanders made the playoffs to begin with.
Through the first two games of the first round, Varlamov was the Islanders’ best player.
But since becoming a full-time starter in October 2022, so has Sorokin.
Similar logic applied to last year’s Panthers, who started Alex Lyon over Sergei Bobrovsky in Game 1 of the playoffs after Lyon’s play down the stretch helped them advance to the playoffs playoffs.
Lyon split both games against the Bruins, struggled and took the hook in a Game 3 loss, then didn’t start another game the rest of the way as Bobrovsky led the charge until ‘to the Stanley Cup final.
Florida coach Paul Maurice has placed his faith in the man whose $10 million annual salary makes him the franchise. And Bobrovsky began to play like someone who deserves this title.
Sorokin’s $8.25 million annual payout on an eight-year contract that kicks in next season means he’s the franchise tag, even if he hasn’t played like that this season.
Varlamov didn’t earn the catch, but sitting a player like Sorokin for an entire playoff series would come with shades of Billy Smith sitting for all but one game in the 1978 first round against the Maple Leafs.
It’s also worth asking whether the Islanders should be proactive in preventing Varlamov from burning out.
Varlamov only started 18 games between October 21 and February 22. He’s started 12 since March 10 and has seen 30 or more shots in a game four times this month.
The Hurricanes were faced with a similar (albeit harsher) decision with Frederik Andersen before Game 2 and made the wrong choice in sticking with him.
Andersen allowed three goals on the first nine shots he saw and he would have been responsible if Carolina had lost.
After a Game 2 collapse that constituted one of the worst playoff losses the franchise has ever suffered – the only time in Islanders history they lost a playoff game with a three-goal lead, thanks to two goals allowed in 9 seconds that ties a club playoff record – they badly need a spark.
Sorokin is a potential partner.
Roy, of course, might be the most qualified person in the world to make this decision. So whatever his decision, the Hall of Fame guard deserves the benefit of the doubt.
But since Roy brought up Game 5 of the 2001 Cup Final on Tuesday, it’s worth noting that seeing David Aebischer start Game 6 in New Jersey would have put some jaws on the floor.
After all, it’s hard to bench the franchise.
New York Post
