Once Ilya Sorokin had proven to the high command that he was ready, willing and able to be a capable starter, the previously capable starter, Semyon Varlamov, took a teamsmanship step backward. Varlamov and his "student" are close friends and have evolved as the model of a first-rate, one-two crease combo.

Breaking News: The Three-Goalie System Has Arrived. Unless you are the New York Islanders.

For proof positive, all you have to do is check Monday night's playoff games. or the manner in which the New Jersey Devils-Carolina Hurricanes crease conundrum has evolved.

Then compare them to the ease with which the Isles have mastered goalkeeper manipulation. (We'll get to that in just a moment.)

On Monday night, the Vegas Golden Knights invaded Edmonton and worried big-time about Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl blitzing them again.

Early in the game, McDavid was thwarted by Knights starting goalie Laurent Broissoit. But, attempting to smother the rebound, Broissoit shrieked in pain from an obviously pulled muscle.

Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy had no choice but to insert little-used Adin Hill between the pipes. And if you're wondering how crazy this is -- also was -- consider that last fall Hill wasn't even on the Knights' list of top three netminders.

Number One was Broissoit; two, Logan Thompson and three, Michael Hutchinson.

Enter Hill into a playoff series which was tied at one apiece; and what did the fourth-best fella do? He merely shut out McDavid, Draisaitl, and all the rest of the empty Oilers.

Not that it was Easy Street at the other end. Oilers rookie Stu Skinner started was bad enough to get the hook from coach Jay Woodcroft.

The replacement turned out to be none other than the former Toronto Maple Leafs starter Jack Campbell, master of the goalie heist.

By "heist," I mean Campbell convinced Edmonton GM Ken Holland that Jack was worth a five-year pact at $5 million a season.

Yikes! At mid-season, Campbell wound up being the back-up to the back-up while Calvin Pickard is back up to the back up to the back up.

Make no mistake, the goalie merry-go-round circles throughout the playoffs.

The Devils have had the same challenge.

They opened the season this way: 1. Mackenzie Blackwood; 2. Vitek Vanecek and 3. Jonathan Bernier.

Yet they started the first round, and eventually, the previously unknown Akira Schmid became the hero with Vanecek as backup. (Bernier and Blackwood became the forgotten men.) And when Schmid failed against Carolina, Vanecek moved in.

By contrast, the Islanders have been the acme of goaltending stability.

Once Ilya Sorokin had proven to the high command that he was ready, willing and able to be a capable starter, the previously capable starter took a teamsmanship step backward.

READ MORE: Varlamov's Friendship With Sorokin Fuels Desire to Stay With Islanders

Semyon Varlamov and his "student" are close friends and have evolved as the model of a first-rate, one-two crease combo.

Their records from this past season speak for themselves.

Sorokin: GP: 62, 31-2-7, GAA: 2.34; % .924.

Varlamov: GP: 23, 11-9-2, GAA: 2.70, % .913

"Varly helped me a lot when I got here," Sorokin recalled. "It made my getting used to the NHL game a lot easier.

Meanwhile, the upcoming free-agent, Varlamov never hesitates to explain why mentoring his pal has made life still enjoyable even with a lighter workload.

Depending on decisions to be made in the near future, it's possible that the Sorokin-Varlamov tandem will continue into the 2023-24 campaign.

Whatever happens, they've satisfactorily proven that the goalie madness that has enveloped so many NHL teams has not affected the Islanders.