The New York Islanders faced the Calgary Flames on Nov. 19 in a game that ended 2-1 for the Flames in a shootout. The only big takeaway is that both teams have great goaltenders. The Islanders didn’t have their primary starter in net, but Semyon Varlamov proved he can still play at a high level as he made 30 saves, while Flames’ young goaltender Dustin Wolf rose to the occasion with 28 saves to secure the victory.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Flames’ 2-1 Overtime Win vs. the Islanders
The game proved that both teams have goaltending that will keep them competitive this season. Neither the Islanders nor the Flames have great rosters, but they are overachieving while other teams are stumbling. Why? Because of their strong play in the net.
Islanders Goaltending Keep Them Competitive
The Islanders’ depth is a question mark, and injuries have left the offense looking hapless, averaging only 2.53 goals per game. Yet, they are in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division and a tier above the flailing Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Pittsburgh Penguins.
That’s because they have one of the best goaltending duos in the NHL. In 2022-23, the tandem carried the Islanders to the playoffs and stole plenty of games they should have lost, and it looks like their duo will do the same this season. After a rough 2023-24 season, Ilya Sorokin is playing well, with a .913 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.70 goals-against average (GAA) on 343 shots with 4.0 goals saved above average (GSAA). Varlamov, meanwhile, has proven he can still play at a high level with a .903 SV% and a 2.60 GAA on 216 shots. At 36, he’s making that four-year contract (signed in the 2023 offseason) look like a bargain for the Islanders.
The Islanders will be in the playoff hunt because of their goaltending. Even if they want to tear it down or retool, having stability in net will save them a lot of headaches and give them a starting point from which to work. The team has two reliable goaltenders, one of which is elite, to build a great roster around.
Flames’ Retool Ahead of Schedule Because of Wolf & Vladar
The Flames have retooled their roster with mixed results. The Tyler Toffoli trade allowed them to land young forward Yegor Sharangovich, while the Jacob Markstrom trade helped them add Kevin Bahl to the young group. Likewise, the Elias Lindholm trade saw them acquire multiple draft pieces and another young skater in Andrei Kuzmenko to build around. All those moves were great, but overhauling their defense by moving on from Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov has left them in a difficult spot this season.
Still, the Flames have one of the best-ranked rebuilds in the NHL. They are now in third place in the Pacific Division, ahead of the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks, two teams that have Stanley Cup aspirations. Sure, a regression is expected as the season progresses, but they are ahead of schedule.
The optimism lies in their goaltending. Wolf, 23, has stepped up and proved that he is a star in the making. His .925 SV% and 2.36 GAA on 321 shots with 7.8 GSAA put him near the top of the league, and his latest game against the Islanders saw him make multiple remarkable stops to allow the Flames to come back and win in the shootout. Then there’s Dan Vladar, who has not only proven he can be a reliable backup but at 27, is showing he can be a key part of the team for multiple seasons.
The Flames are often viewed as a team poised to regress. There are the Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri contracts that pay the two forwards like stars, but they lack the overall star power to compete. However, the team has the goaltending to build a contender around, and with the young talent coming into the fold, the Flames can contend sooner than expected.
Goaltending Only Helps So Much
There is a lot of optimism surrounding both the Flames and the Islanders. Both are competitive and could easily make the playoffs this season. However, even with great goaltending, they may come up short. Great goaltending raises the floor but great scoring raises the ceiling, and that’s what will hold both teams back.
The Flames have a lot of great pieces in place to become a playoff team. At the same time, they lack the elite talent that would carry them in a playoff run. If they make the playoffs, they will run into a team like the Canucks, Oilers, or Vegas Golden Knights, and the series will be one-sided because those teams have the necessary elite talent.
The Islanders have a similar issue except their star players can’t adapt in the playoffs. Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson, and Bo Horvat are all exceptional talents but their problem is that they can’t take over games in multiple ways. It’s why the Islanders have made the playoffs the past two seasons only two lose one-sided matchups to the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round.
The Flames and Islanders are off to great starts, and goaltending should give them hope. However, it’s only the start. The rest of the roster is still lacking, and it’s where both front offices still have work to do.
