New York Islanders netminder Semyon Varlamov made a career-low 23 starts in 2022-23, putting on the baseball cap and throwing the towel around his neck for the last 14 games, which includes the entirety of their first-round, six-game affair with the Carolina Hurricanes,
While Varlamov could have explored starting jobs elsewhere, the grizzled veteran voiced an incredible appreciation for Long Island, the organization, and his partner Ilya Sorokin whenever he was asked about his future, citing that he wanted to stay no matter his role.
Actions speak louder than words, and Varlamov kept to his word, committed the next four seasons to the New York Islanders to serve as their backup netminder when he put pen to paper on a four-year extension on July 1st for $2.75 million annually.
The question is, could Varlamov, a goaltender used to playing often, be as effective in limited starts?
That has certainly not been a problem out of the gate for the 34-year-old goaltender.
In three starts this season, all on the road, Varlamov has been sensational, stopping 105 of 108 shots faced. That includes two back-to-back shutout performances five days apart.
The first came against the Columbus Blue Jackets (34 saves) last Saturday, and the other came against the Washington Capitals (32 saves) Thursday night.
Against the Blue Jackets, a 2-0 victory, Varlamov had an Expected Goals Against Average of 3.39, per NaturalStatrick.com. In the 3-0 victory over the Capitals, he was expected to give up five goals.
Here's what he had to say following his second straight shutout.
"I'm pretty happy. I'm feeling good in the net right now," Varlamov said postgame. "It's just the beginning. It's a long, long season. I just have to continue to play well, and then every time I have a chance to play, I got to just try to play my best and then give my team a chance to win the hockey game."
Varlamov owns a 1.00 GAA with a .972 SV% after Thursday's performance.
The 16-year NHL backstop may not be the flashiest goaltender or have the flexibility that Sorokin has despite doing his best impressions early on. But what has stood out so far through three starts is Varlamov's calm demeanor between the pipes and his positioning.
Quite frankly, that part of Varlamov's game has been better than Sorokin's in the early showing this season.
That's not to take anything away from Sorokin (2-1-2, 2.99 GAA, .910 SV%, 1 SO), who has had to be brilliant to keep the Islanders in every game he's started.
There's just been a few things Sorokin's struggled on in the early going, things that Varlamov is succeeding in.
Let's start with the most important thing in today's NHL, and that's traffic in front.
There are two ways to play the traffic game as a goaltender.
You can get out to the top of your crease, which may cut down the amount of time you have to react, but at the same time, it limits the amount of open net for the shooter to look at.
Being aggressive also limits the ability of tip shots that can get past you.
The other option is to retreat in your crease, which, in theory, gives you more time to find the puck through traffic and make a save that way.
Varlamov, more often than not, has chosen Option A, while Sorokin has chosen Option B.
By being aggressive, Varlamov has been able to track the play in front of him and get into prime position for shots, allowing for stronger rebound control.
Very rarely do you see him back in his crease.
That's not to say Sorokin hasn't been aggressive because he surely has. However, screened shots haven't been too kind early on.
What I will add is that it seems the Islanders do a stronger job at boxing out in front of Varlamov than they do Sorokin, so that certainly impacts the ability to make saves.
There are things goaltenders can do to help themselves, and it seems Varlamov is doing more of those little things early on.
In relation to screens and traffic, something that has been very noticeable early on is that Sorokin consistently has had to look behind him. What that means is that he's picking up the puck late, with his quick reactions bailing him out a bit more than he likely wants.
On top of that, Sorokin's been leaning back, too, and what that can lead to is uncontrolled rebounds.
Only once do I remember Varlamov doing that, and it came Thursday night on an in-tight shot from the top of his crease, closing his legs to trap the puck after the puck slid through his five-hole.
Again, we aren't here to say that Sorokin, a Vezina finalist a season ago who has been under siege from opening pucks drops to final buzzers, has been bad for New York.
Not even close.
We are just observing what we've seen.
Sorokin and Varlamov have clearly been the best tandem in the early showings, outside of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman (stat-wise), which shouldn't be a shocker to anyone.
The Islanders have allowed 23 goals this season, the fifth-fewest in the NHL, and rank sixth with a 2.56 GAA.
Lane Lambert has a good problem to have, as both his goaltenders can steal games.
Now, does Lambert consider riding Varlamov, at least going back to him on Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes?
Or does he go back to Sorokin and give Varlamov one of the two games next week, either against the Minnesota Wild or the Boston Bruins?
One would think the Islanders learned their lesson last year, as Sorokin was overused late in the season.
The fact that Varlamov has been so strong out of the gate now allows Lambert to pick and choose and not think one decision will put the Islanders at any disadvantage.