Andrew Fantucchio
When you share a crease with Ilya Sorokin, chances are you’ll find yourself sitting on the bench playing the role of doorman rather than netminder more often than not.
It’s a role Semyon Varlamov has become accustomed to since Sorokin took over as the mainstay in goal for the New York Islanders.
“It’s been a long time, I think it’s been three months or something,” Varlamov said. “I’m very happy to get the chance to play today. I felt pretty good right from the beginning, so I’m glad we won.”
It’s awesome. He’s such a good pro. He comes out and works hard every single day and tries to keep himself ready for whenever he’s called upon. We’ve been saying it all year, we have so much confidence in both of our goalies. It’s good to see him get rewarded.
The winning streak is a team thing. It’s not an individual individual thing. It’s a team thing. We play as a team, and we win as a team, and we lose as a team.
I couldn’t do what he does. I would not have that patience. That it was not in me. Sitting on the bench, it was something I couldn’t do. We’re all different. I think the relationship between Varly and Ilya is so good. They like each other so much, and Varly is such a great vet. I think he’s enjoyed the situation of helping Ilya and helping him to be an even better goalie. We’re very lucky to have both of these guys.
The winning streak is a team thing. It’s not an individual individual thing. It’s a team thing. We play as a team, and we win as a team, and we lose as a team.
We already have an idea. The only reason you don’t mention it is because you don’t know what’s going to happen game by game. But almost til the end of the year, we have a pretty good idea of who will play when, but we’re just going to go game by game, I guess.
I think you need to go with the feeling. You have to have a feeling. I mean, if Ilya starts to be tired, then it’s time for Varly to play more games. That’s what happened before the All-Star break. We played Varly in two games back-to-back. We have two very good goaltenders, and there’s no reason for us to not be comfortable using both of them if we have to.
6-7-3 (17 starts) 2.91 GAA, .910 sv percentage
Roy
The winning streak is a team thing. It’s not an individual individual thing. It’s a team thing. We play as a team, and we win as a team, and we lose as a team.
He’s a pro. He’s a guy that always works hard in practice. Even if there’s a day off, he comes in. I know he’s going to be ready.
I couldn’t do what he does. I would not have that patience. That it was not in me. Sitting on the bench, it was something I couldn’t do. We’re all different. I think the relationship between Varly and Ilya is so good. They like each other so much, and Varly is such a great vet. I think he’s enjoyed the situation of helping Ilya and helping him to be an even better goalie. We’re very lucky to have both of these guys.
We already have an idea. The only reason you don’t mention it is because you don’t know what’s going to happen game by game. But almost til the end of the year, we have a pretty good idea of who will play when, but we’re just going to go game by game, I guess.
I think you need to go with the feeling. You have to have a feeling. I mean, if Ilya starts to be tired, then it’s time for Varly to play more games. That’s what happened before the All-Star break. We played Varly in two games back-to-back. We have two very good goaltenders, and there’s no reason for us to not be comfortable using both of them if we have to.
I was happy for him because he played so well for us. The games that he lost, like, for example, in St. Louis, a four-nothing shutout. What can you do as a goalie? He’s been working so hard in practice. The guys gave him a nice win today. He deserved that.
Varlamov
It’s nice to get a win and stay on the winning streak. It was a very important game for us. For the rest of the season, that will be vital. We knew how important this game was, so we came out and played really good hockey.
We’ve been chasing this spot for a while. I’m glad we’re in it now. Lately, we’ve been playing good hockey. We just need to focus ourselves and keep winning.
“It’s been a long time, I think it’s been three months or something,” Varlamov said. “I’m very happy to get the chance to play today. I felt pretty good right from the beginning, so I’m glad we won.”
Palmieri
All four lines are playing well. The D are moving the puck fast, and it’s what making us successful.
It’s awesome. He’s such a good pro. He comes out and works hard every single day and tries to keep himself ready for whenever he’s called upon. We’ve been saying it all year, we have so much confidence in both of our goalies. It’s good to see him get rewarded.
