Semyon Varlamov gets the nod against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday while Ilya Sorokin will start Sunday's game against the New York Rangers.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy told us in Buffalo that goaltending coach Piero Greco makes the goalie decisions.
"It's Piero [Greco] that makes the decision," Roy said on Wednesday. "I support whatever he says. He follows that. He knows and feels the guys."
After Sorokin was left out to dry in their 4-0 shutout loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, the Islanders were back on the practice sheet on Friday.
The weekend brings about a back-to-back situation, which means that Roy and Greco need to decide which goaltender will get which start.
On Saturday, the Islanders host the Ottawa Senators before heading to Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
And they settled on this decision:
"Tomorrow's Varly and Ilya against the Rangers."
Varlamov was sharp in his latest start, stopping 22 of 23 in their 6-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks this past Sunday, and has faced the Ottawa Senators already this season, turning aside 28 of 31 shots in a 5-3 win on Nov. 24.
While the decision was already made, Varlamov absolutely owns the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
In 14 career games on Broadway, Varlamov owns a 10-3-1 record with a 2.29 GAA and a .928 SV%.
But Varlamov won't get this chance, as Sorokin gets the redemption game after allowing six goals on 38 shots at MetLife Stadium in a 6-5 overtime loss on Feb. 18.
He's 1-2-0 in three games with a 3.36 GAA and a .895 SV% versus the Rangers on the road in his career, last facing them at MSG on Dec. 22, 2022, topping 29 of 33 in a 5-3 loss.