Lane Lambert overworked Ilya Sorokin when he was the head coach of the New York Islanders. He started the elite goaltender in 60 of the 82 regular season games in the 2022-23 season and in 33 of the 45 games he coached this season. The workload helped the Islanders make the playoff last season, but it backfired and was one of the many reasons Lambert was fired halfway through the season.
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Enter Patrick Roy, a Hall of Fame goaltender who also brings a fire and passion behind the bench that this team needs. So far, he’s split the starts between Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov, and his background helps shape that decision. He understands Sorokin and what world-class goaltenders can handle more than most coaches and knows how to start him properly. When it comes to Varlamov, it helps that Roy was his head coach on the Colorado Avalanche from 2013 until 2016. The new head coach understands the duo, and the result is a split in the net early on in his coaching tenure.
The question is if Roy should continue to split starts or start relying on Sorokin more. The Islanders are looking to make a push for a playoff spot, and every game matters. They lost all three of Varlamov’s starts, and with the better option in the net being Sorokin, it’s only a matter of time before Roy relies heavily on him to help carry the team.
Varlamov’s Gave Sorokin Extra Time Off
The split Roy has relied on so far can’t be taken at face value. Varlamov started the Islanders two games before the All-Star Break in the Jan. 25, 4-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens and the Jan. 27, 3-2 overtime loss against the Florida Panthers. Those two starts went a long way in helping Sorokin, as they gave him an extended break to prepare for the rest of the season.
Already, the Islanders are seeing the payoff. Sorokin looks improved in the net, as he’s only allowed two goals in each of his starts since the break, both resulting in Islanders wins. He’s sharp in the net and looks like the elite goaltender who carried the team last season.
Sorokin’s recent starts make the Feb. 10 game against the Calgary Flames, one where Varlamov was the starter, an interesting decision. The veteran struggled early on and never recovered, allowing three goals in the first 36 minutes of action, resulting in a 5-2 defeat. In Roy’s defense, the game was an afternoon start, which are the ones that are ideal for giving the primary starter off. However, it’s the game against the Flames that makes it easy to think that Roy will go with a duo moving forward, and it’s a strategy that looks poised to backfire.
Varlamov Remains Steps Behind Sorokin
Varlamov is having a good season, and his stats show that even at 35 years old, he’s capable of filling in as a reliable backup. He has a .912 save percentage and a 2.90 goals-against average (GAA) on 511 shots with 4.0 goals saved above average (GSAA), but the volume is what’s worth noting. He’s playing at this level in a backup role. While Varlamov has faced only 511 shots, Sorokin has faced 1258 shots, which is the most in the NHL.
The bottom line is that if Varlamov is splitting starts, his production will nosedive. He’s not nearly as good as Sorokin, and having him start every other game will cause the Islanders to fall in the standings and remain on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. Moving forward, Roy must find that sweet spot between overstarting Varlamov and overworking Sorokin.
Sorokin Needs A Balanced Workload
The new system has helped Sorokin. Under Lambert, he faced a surplus of shots, but with the team playing a more disciplined game, especially in the defensive zone, his starts haven’t been overwhelming. Against the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 23, a game the Islanders lost 3-2, Sorokin only faced 27 shots, and against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 8, he only faced 20 shots in a 6-2 stomping.
Lambert relied heavily on his elite goaltender to bail the Islanders out. The team was aggressive and often missed assignments with the hope of finding a quick scoring chance in the offensive zone. Sorokin covered up the team’s issues until he couldn’t. The start before the All-Star Break was the last straw, and as the struggles from both Sorokin and the team continued, it became clear a coaching change was needed.
With fewer shots on the net, Sorokin has returned to form, but it doesn’t mean the Islanders can rely on him every night. He’s the primary starter and can carry the team, but eventually, too many starts will come back to hurt him and the Islanders as well. The Winnipeg Jets helped out their elite goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck, by both providing him with a reliable backup in Laurent Brossoit and changing their system to limit shots on the net. The Roy hiring was meant to do the same thing, and the hope is that a balanced workload starts to pay off.
The Ideal Split for the Islanders
Roy should try to have Sorokin start three out of every four games as the season progresses. He was a Vezina Trophy finalist last season, and with the right number of starts, he can look like that type of goaltender as the team makes a push for the playoffs. The Islanders don’t have a back-to-back the rest of the month and only play nine games from now until the trade deadline. However, Varlamov is around for those when the schedule intensifies, and it will be in the final few weeks of the season. The Islanders have three back-to-back situations in March and one in April as the team looks to close out the season strong, and Varlamov can and should get the nod in a few of those games.
Likewise, Varlamov can be the one Roy calls on for the unusual start times or the games that otherwise would throw Sorokin off his rhythm. The Islanders play five games that have noon start times, and Varlamov getting accustomed to starting those games could give the team an advantage.
How do you think Roy should start the Islanders’ two goaltenders? Let us know in the comments section below.
