The New York Islanders have announced that goalie Semyon Varlamov will not dress for tonight’s matchup against the Washington Capitals, per team insider Andrew Gross.
As he points out, the 7-0 blowout loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night appears to be way more costly than first anticipated for the Islanders. Head coach Lane Lambert has explained that Varlamov, who was out for maintenance on Thursday, may not travel with team to start upcoming four-game road trip.
During the brutal loss to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Varlamov had subbed in for Ilya Sorokin in the third period. He blocked six of seven shots in the short time he took over the net. He did not seem to be in any discomfort at the end of the game.
Varlamov has outplayed Sorokin this season, albeit in limited action. He is is 6-4-2 with a 2.75 GAA and .919 save percentage.
While Varlamov is consider, for now, day to day until further notice from head coach Lambert, Sorokin will get the start and Ken Appleby will be the backup for the Islanders tonight against the Capitals. Appleby has not played in an NHL game since 2018 when he was a member of the New Jersey Devils. He has a .898 save percentage and a GAA of 2.86 in 10 games for AHL Bridgeport this season.
The Islanders simply cannot afford to lose Varlamov long term since the veteran goalie is a huge reason why New York has achieved the level of success they have in recent years. The team has relied on him even more this season since Sorokin’s performance has taken a slight dip since last year.
If Varlamov is out for long, Sorokin will need to find his old self again.
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