Semyon Varlamov carried the Islanders to the players and is being rewarded with the Game 1 start.
Semyon Varlamov carried the Islanders to the players and is being rewarded with the Game 1 start.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- Entering the season, it seemed that if the New York Islanders were going to make the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, it would be due to the play of 2023 Vezina finalist Ilya Sorokin.
Instead, it was the play of veteran Semyon Varlamov.
Coming in for a struggling Sorokin, the 35-year-old who inked a four-year extension this summer worth $11 million ($2.75 M AAV) put the team on his back in the stretch run to get them into the playoffs.
He was brilliant, posting an 8-1-1 record over his last 10 games, with a 2.09 GAA and a .930 SV% as head coach Patrick Roy, who coached Varlamov during their time with the Colorado Avalanche, rolled with the hot hand.
Varlamov went undefeated over his last five outings, with a 1.59 GAA and a .946 SV%, turning aside 23 of 24 shots in their third-seed clinching 4-1 win against the New Jersey Devils this past Monday.
Getting in was the first part of the job.
Now, Varlamov is tasked with starting Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes, the most complete, dynamic team in the Eastern Conference.
"Varly will play," Roy said.
When asked if he thinks he'll use both goalies in the series, Roy said," It's a good question. But as of now, we're going with Varly."
The Islanders had success against the Hurricanes this season, going 2-1, after losing six games to them in the first round of last year's playoffs.
Varlamov, who made 39 saves on 43 shots in a 5-4 overtime win on Nov. 30, didn't get into either of the six games last postseason.
He ends his season with a .917 SV%, the third-best in the NHL for goalies who have played a minimum of 25 games, along with a 2.60 GAA.
Since joining the Islanders in 2019, Varlamov has started 14 playoff games, posting a 2.56 GAA and a .922 SV%.
Game 1 begins on Saturday evening at 5 PM in Raleigh