Overlooked No More, Varlamov Rises in Playoff Charge | NYHN+

Hockey players are if nothing else, humble when it comes to their accomplishments. So when Semyon Varlamov tried to downplay his latest postseason heroics on Monday it should come as no surprise.

What should come as no surprise anymore either is just how instrumental he has been to the New York Islanders playoff run.

Varlamov completed his second consecutive playoff shutout in Game 1 against the Philadelphia Flyers in a 4-0 Islanders win. The Islanders starter stopped 29 shots, including 15 alone in the second period, to help secure the series-opening victory.

While the performance alone should be enough to grab some attention, however, it only scratches the surface. Varlamov has extended his streak of scoreless hockey to 136:20, which just 39 seconds shy of tying a franchise playoff record. The record-holder is of course Islanders legend and Hall-of-Famer Billy Smith.

And let’s not forget the fact that Semyon Varlamov became the first Islanders netminder to record back-to-back shutouts in the postseason. The veteran goaltender also became the first Islander to shutout the Flyers in the playoffs.

Ask Varlamov about those accomplishments and the Russian netminder will tell you that he hasn’t done much.

“I haven’t done anything really special so far,” Varlamov said. “I just played the game. It happens that way. I get the back-to-back shutouts, the team has played amazing in front of me. But I’ve already moved on with this game and looking forward to play the next one.”

Semyon Varlamov can be as humble as he likes, but there is no denying that he has already done something pretty special through this Islanders run in the playoffs. Even a brief glance at his stats show what a dominant force he has been.

Varlamov’s .941 save percentage is tied for second-best in the league among goaltenders in the playoffs. Monday’s win was his league-leading eighth of the postseason.

“He’s playing fantastic,” Andy Greene said. “He’s making the hard saves look easy. When we have breakdowns we know he’s there for us and vice versa. We pick each other up back there. We’re trying to let him see the puck there. Trying to box out or get sticks. If we can clear the traffic out, he’s going to make the saves and then we go from there.”

While it hasn’t been too often, but Varlamov has bailed the Islanders out of a jam. The second period of Monday’s game is the perfect example of the 32-year-old netminder stepping up when needed.

The Islanders goaltender has been strong throughout the playoffs, even if he’s only been getting the recognition more recently.

“The way I look at it, I’m very thankful to be on his team right now,” Greene said. “He’s seeing the puck very well and he’s playing well. It’s good. I don’t think he’s overlooked by any of us and I think that’s all that really matters in our locker room.”

If Semyon Varlamov had been overlooked this postseason that will surely be a thing of the past now.

He has played too well not to earn the rightful praise and in a showdown with another of the NHL’s best young goaltenders in Carter Hart, Varlamov has fired the first salvo with his play in Game 1.