Roy goes with hot hand Varlamov in net
With a chance to clinch third place in the Metropolitan Division and a postseason berth against the Devils on Monday, the Islanders are going to keep riding the goaltender who has lost just one game in regulation over the last month.
“The plan is going with Varly,” head coach Patrick Roy said. “And then we’ll see after.”
Though Ilya Sorokin appears to have turned a corner after a 41-save outing at Madison Square Garden on Saturday marked a third straight strong performance over which he has stopped 84 of 89 shots, Semyon Varlamov has been too good lately for the Islanders to go away from him in such a big spot.
Since March 10, Varlamov is 7-1-1 over nine starts with a .928 save percentage. Aside from Carolina’s Frederik Andersen (.951), Varlamov has the best save percentage of any netminder in the league with over 450 minutes during that span. His .875 save percentage at high-danger ranks only behind Andersen and Jake Allen, whose solid play for New Jersey has come too late to save its season from hell.
Two good options in goal heading into the playoffs would be a good problem for Roy to have, and it appears things are going in that direction. But the head coach’s trust in Varlamov, who backstopped the Avalanche during his first stint as an NHL coach in Denver a decade ago, is deservedly high.
“The three years we worked together in Denver, he played so well and when he gets in the zone, when he’s focused like he is right now — Varly wants to win,” Roy said. “When I come to the rink, I don’t ask the question, does Varly want to win tonight? Varly wants to win every time he’s on the ice and every time he’s playing.”
➤ Noah Dobson (upper body) did not participate in Sunday’s practice before the Islanders departed to New Jersey, and Roy continued to describe the defenseman as day-to-day. The head coach declined to say whether Dobson has skated on his own.
“I might get fired if I answer that question,” Roy joked.
➤ The Islanders retained the same lineup configuration at Sunday’s practice as they used against the Rangers on Saturday, with Hudson Fasching staying on the second line with Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri.
➤ Kyle MacLean left practice early with an illness. Roy said he expects him to be good to go on Monday.