Patrick Roy wasn’t going to explain his rationale Tuesday morning when asked if he would keep Semyon Varlamov in net for a must-win Game 3 against Carolina, but he said yes. I’m not saying it was the plan to do it, but it is what it is. That’s exactly what the Islanders coach did.
“We haven’t decided what we’re going to do yet. Varley was phenomenal for us all the way through,” Roy said. “If we make the playoffs, he’s going to play a big role there.
“What I like about Varley is he carries a lot of pucks. It’s a team that loves to shoot. They shoot from everywhere. They might have shot from outside the building. At the end of the day, they… They’re very aggressive offensively. They love to put the puck on the net, they love to drive to the net. So Varley had a lot of pucks around him, And that’s what I like about Varley. I think holding the puck without giving too many rebounds helps our ‘D.’ ”
It goes without saying: One of the reasons Ilya Sorokin lost his starting spot in the first place was his poor rebound control.
It’s understandable that Roy would worry that that would be an issue against a Carolina team that gets attention online even on its worst nights, let alone has effective possession of the puck for most players. Especially against an Islanders side that can’t even clear the field. They lost the second game 5-3.
Leaving Sorokin at the end of the regular season was the right decision for now, and Varlamov’s play down the stretch is the biggest reason the Islanders made it to the postseason.
Through the first two games of the first round, Varlamov was the Islanders’ best player.
But so has Sorokin since becoming a full-time starting pitcher in October 2022.
Similar logic applied to the Panthers last year, when Alex Lyon started over Sergei Bobrovsky in Game 1 of the playoffs, and Lyon’s late play helped them advance to the postseason.
Lyon split two games against the Bruins, struggled and lost in Game 3, but did not start the remaining games, with Bobrovsky leading the charge to the Stanley Cup Final.
University of Florida coach Paul Maurice has confidence in the $10 million-a-year player. And Bobrovsky started playing like a man worthy of his title.
Sorokin’s $8.25 million annual hit on an eight-year contract starting next season means he’s still a part of the team, even if he doesn’t play like that this season.
Varlamov hasn’t gotten much attention yet, but a player like Sorokin would sit out an entire playoff series as Billy Smith would sit out all but one game in the first round against the Maple Leafs in 1978. Dew.
It is also worth considering whether the islanders should act actively to prevent Varlamov’s attrition.
Varlamov started just 18 games between October 21 and February 22, but has started 12 games since March 10 and has taken more than 30 shots in a game this month. This happened four times.
The Hurricanes had to make a similar (albeit tougher) decision with Frederik Andersen heading into Game 2 and made the wrong choice by sticking with him.
Andersen allowed three goals on the first nine shots he saw and would have been responsible if Carolina had lost.
After the Game 2 collapse was one of the worst playoff losses in franchise history, it was the only time in Islanders history to lose in the playoffs with a three-point lead, thanks to allowing two goals in nine seconds to tie the game. Club record in the playoffs — they are in dire need of inspiration.
Sorokin is a strong candidate.
Of course, Roy may be the only person on earth qualified to make this decision. So whatever decision he makes, the Hall of Fame netminder deserves the benefit of the doubt.
But it’s worth noting that Roy brought up Game 5 of the 2001 Cup Final on Tuesday, so it would have surprised the crowd to see David Aebischer start Game 6 in New Jersey. .
After all, it’s hard to bench a franchise.
