TEMPE, Ariz. — The Islanders are back to collectively holding their breath about goaltending.
The Isles called up Ken Appleby from AHL Bridgeport on Wednesday. This suggests that Semyon Varlamov, who left Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Avalanche with an apparent injury at 14:52 into the game, will be unavailable for Thursday's game against the Coyotes.
Varlamov had already missed last Friday's win over the Capitals, but things looked so bad against the Islanders that coach Lane Lambert asked him Tuesday morning how happy he was to escape unscathed.
“Obviously, it's very fortunate,” he said. “[Varlamov’s] He’s a big part of our goaltending tandem. With the way the game is played, the amount of movement and everything that's been going on here this month and last month, having a fresh goaltender is key. ”
That may be an essential luxury for islanders as long as Varlamov is on the shelf.
Appleby has just three games of NHL experience, dating back to the 2017-18 season with the Devils.
The Islanders did not practice Wednesday and did not release any updates on Varlamov's injury.
Lambert said after Tuesday's game that he knew “nothing” about the nature of the issue.
The Islanders have been hesitant to play Varlamov as the organization's third-string goaltender when he has struggled with injuries in the past, with Cory Schneider making a lone start in the second end of back-to-back games in April 2021. I cut it. playoff race.
Otherwise, they may have ridden Ilya Sorokin in such conditions.
Even if they're trying to avoid forcing Sorokin to suffer through the same 62-game stretch this season as he did a year ago, it stands to reason that they'll do the same this time around.
And of course, it would be nothing short of tragic if last year's Vezina Trophy runner-up were to get injured.
The Islanders placed Robert Bortuzzo on injured reserve Tuesday due to a lower-body injury he sustained after Colorado's Samuel Girard left the ice without putting weight on his right leg after colliding with the wall. .
Bortuzzo will be sidelined for at least seven days before returning next Tuesday at home against Vancouver.
The Isles suffered their first loss of last season on Dec. 16 at Mallett Arena in Arizona after giving up an early two-goal lead.
The Coyotes have been much more competitive this season than last year's 70-point team, entering Thursday with a 19-15-2 record as of Wednesday, good for the second wild-card spot in the West. Coming.
