With a chance to finish third in the Metropolitan Division and clinch a postseason berth with Monday’s game against the Devils, the Islanders will continue to ride a goalie who lost just one game in regulation last month.
“Varley’s plans are moving forward,” head coach Patrick Roy said. “Then let’s see what happens next.”
Ilya Sorokin seems to have turned a corner after making 41 saves on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, stopping 84 of 89 shots, his third consecutive year of strong performance, but Semyon Varlamov has recently From him being in such a big place that the Islanders were too good to leave.
Since March 10, Varlamov has started nine games and has a record of 7-1-1 with a .928 save percentage.
Outside of Carolina’s Frederik Andersen (.951), Varlamov has played over 450 minutes and has the best save percentage of any netminder in the league.
His .875 save percentage in high-danger situations was second only to Andersen and Jake Allen, and while he played solidly in New Jersey, it was too late to save his season from hell.
Having two good options in goal will be a good problem for Roy heading into the playoffs, and things seem to be heading in that direction.
But the head coach’s confidence in Varlamov, who backstopped the Avalanche during his first stint as an NHL coach in Denver 10 years ago, is understandably high.
“He played really well in the three years we worked together in Denver, and when he gets in the zone and when he’s focused like he is now, Varley wants to win,” Roy said. “When I come to the rink, I don’t ask the question, does Varley want to win tonight? Varley, when he’s on the ice, when he’s playing, he always wants to win.”
Noah Dobson (upper body) did not participate in Sunday’s practice before the Islanders departed for New Jersey, and Roy continued to call the defenseman’s condition day-to-day.
The head coach declined to say whether Dobson skated alone.
“If you answer that question, you might get fired,” Roy joked.
The Islanders kept the same lineup in Sunday’s practice as they did Saturday against the Rangers, with Hudson Fassing remaining on the second line along with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri.
Kyle MacLean left practice early due to illness.
Roy said he expects to feel better on Monday.
