If I asked you, “What has been the New York Islanders biggest issue over the last few seasons?” the majority would answer that lack of an elite goal scorer, a just response.

The lack of a game-changer alongside Matthew Barzal has hindered the Islanders’ ability to be an effective well-rounded team, and in turn has been the key reason for eliminations in back-to-back postseasons.

I’ve been on the record saying that the elite sniper that the Islanders need is already on the roster in Oliver Wahlstrom .

Since late December, goaltending has not been an issue for the New York Islanders. Night in and night out, either Ilya Sorokin or Semyon Varlamov had played well enough to either get wins or keep their team within striking distance.

But as of late, Semyon Varlamov’s mistakes or lack of that big save, have put the Islanders in difficult positions.

Flashback to Tuesday, Varlamov stopped 31 of 34 through regulation and overtime. Another nine saves during the shootout ultimately allowed the Islanders to collect a critical second point in a contest the Islanders needed to have.

Despite the Flyers’ first goal coming via the power play, it was one that Varlamov was in the proper position to save, but the shot snuck through his legs which tied the contest at 1.

Yes, a rather unlucky bounce off the boards but Varlamov’s stick is not in the correct position — a mistake he makes often.

Speaking of plays with his stick, less than 30 seconds after the Islanders took the lead in the second period, Varlamov made a weak pass to Robin Salo behind his net which served up the equalizer as the Flyers knotted up the score at two.

And not that the Flyers go-ahead goal just over four minutes into the third period could be blamed on Varlamov, as Claude Giroux went around Zdeno Chara with ease, you could see that Varlamov did not react to the shot, but rather guessed on its destination—he guessed wrong.

And not that this go-ahead goal could be blamed on Varlamov, as Claude Giroux went around Chara with ease, you could see that Varlamov did not react to the shot, he guessed that the shot was headed blocker side…and he guessed wrong.

Varlamov came up large in overtime and then in the shootout, but in regulation at least two of three goals that he allowed were ones that he has the potential to stop.

And that was the same storyline against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

Against a strong offensive group in Toronto, a team can ill-afford to give them “freebies”. And although all three Toronto goals against the Islanders came on defensive breakdowns, Varlamov failed to come up with that big save early to help change the tide of the contest.

At 13:25 in the first period, Islanders forward Mathew Barzal turned the puck over on the power play which saw Mitch Marner get on a breakaway. While being pressured by Noah Dobson, Marner was unable to get a shot off, as he elected to make sure the puck was on net.

However Varlamov, again, failed to completely cover up his five-hole, as the puck slid through his legs to give Toronto a key 1-0 lead.

Toronto’s second goal, the turning point of the contest, the Isalnders desperately could have used a big stop by Varlamov with the clock expiring in the first period. The Islanders had just tied the score 60 seconds prior before Pierre Engvall snuck one through Varlamov to give the Leafs a 2-1 at the first-period buzzer.

Although Varlamov should not have been put in that situation due to a bad line change by the Islanders, Varlamov got the majority of the shot, as he saw another shot just sneak by him.

It was a pretty move by Engvall, no one is denying that. But again, Varlamov was there but did not track the puck well enough to completely stop it. And despite playing well the remainder of the game, the damage had been done after one period of play. That’s not to say the result would have changed, but it for sure would have changed the mentality of the Islanders following the first period.

The Islanders are not an elite offensive team which is why when leads are obtained or the Islanders score an important goal, they need to be able to lock down defensively to win. We’ve seen that ideology since head coach Barry Trotz walked into the building in the summer of 2018 and nothing has changed.

Sorokin this season has been able to do that more often than Varlamov, especially as of late.

In Sorokin’s last two starts against the Philadelphia Flyers (Jan. 17) and then the Arizona Coyotes (Jan. 21), he has two wins, with a .970 SV% and a 0.50 GAA. In Varlamov’s last two starts he owns a 1-1-0 record, with an .895 SV% and a 2.93 GAA.

Looking at the opponents and the situations, it may not be fair to assess Varlamov the same way one would assess Sorokin. With the number of games, the Islanders have played as of late, being in net for two back-ends of back-to-backs means a more tired group in front of him.
And the stats certainly back up that claim.

Varlamov has faced 13 more shots than Sorokin, 10 more being considered high-danger chances.

However, Ilya Sorokin has come up with the big saves when called upon.

His goals-saved above average (GSAA) is at a 2.05 over the last two contests, with Varalmov’s GSAA in the negatives, at -2.05. Sorokin has not allowed a high-danger goal on the 10 that has come his way over his last two starts, while Varlamov has allowed five.

While the GSAA statistic indicates that a goaltender is either stepping up for his team (positive) or not doing enough (negative), it leaves out an essential detail, the “when” aspect.

And right now the Islanders need their goaltenders to make those extra saves if they want to give themselves any sort of chance to make the postseason.