Semyon Varlamov starts vs. Avalanche, then leaves in first period
Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov watches the puck curing the third period of the team's NHL game against the Penguins on Wednesday at UBS Arena. Credit: AP/Frank Franklin II
DENVER — Semyon Varlamov insisted he was “100%” healthy, otherwise he wouldn’t be playing.
Still, he did not last long in his first start in six games.
Varlamov exited Tuesday night’s match against the Avalanche at Ball Arena at 14:52 of the first period after stopping 11 of 12 shots and was replaced by Ilya Sorokin. The Islanders did not have an immediate update on Varlamov, who did not stay on the bench after leaving the game.
Varlamov missed a practice for maintenance and then did not dress for the Islanders’ 5-1 win over the Capitals at UBS Arena on Friday. It exposed how thin the organization is in net without an NHL-ready goalie in the system in case of long-term injury to either Varlamov or Sorokin. Minor-league journeyman Ken Appleby backed up Sorokin against the Capitals.
Varlamov had subbed for Sorokin to start the third period of the Islanders’ previous game, a 7-0 loss to the visiting Penguins on Dec. 27. But Varlamov said the issue that caused him to miss two days for maintenance did not occur in that outing, it had lingered from before.
“I’m in the lineup because I’m really 100%,” Varlamov told Newsday before making his second start in Colorado since joining the Islanders in 2019 and first since Feb. 19, 2020. “Because if you’re not really 100%, you can’t be in the lineup, that’s the thing.”
The Islanders have two more games remaining on this four-game trip, Thursday in Arizona and Saturday in Las Vegas.
Appleby may have to make a long flight out west.
Before Varlamov’s early exit on Tuesday, the Islanders were counting themselves fortunate that both of their Russian goalie tandem seemed to be intact.
“They’re both so good and they carry us through the whole season,” center Bo Horvat said of Sorokin and Varlamov. “For [Varlamov] to only miss one game is huge and not be too serious.”
Varlamov entered Tuesday’s match 6-4-2 with a 2.75 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. He was 4-1-2 in his previous seven decisions.
“I’m just doing the same thing as I’ve been doing,” said Varlamov, 35, who spent eight seasons with the Avalanche and is in the first season of a four-year, $11 million extension after completing his initial four-year, $20 million deal with the Islanders. “Didn’t change anything.”
“The last couple of games, I didn’t really play. Ilya is playing most of the games. So my job right now is stay in shape. That’s what we do every day. You’ve got to make sure you feel good during the practice and you see the puck well and you bring this into the game. To me, the most important thing is to stay ready and be in good condition. Then, when you have a chance to play, you feel strong and you feel good playing the game.”
Given some of the goaltending issues other playoff contenders are having — the Maple Leafs waived a struggling Ilya Samsonov and re-assigned him to the AHL and the Hurricanes did the same with Antti Raanta before recalling him — Varlamov and Sorokin’s teammates don’t take for granted how solid a tandem they are.
“I don’t think it gets overlooked by us here,” Brock Nelson said. “We say every night, it doesn’t matter playing in net, we have two of the better goalies in the league that give us a chance. Ilya is probably highlighted a little more. But Varly has been a guy that’s been around for a long time and played extremely well for his entire career.”
But now the Islanders must once again be concerned whether Varlamov will miss time.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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