Semyon Varlamov played so well in the qualifying round that made everyone forget that he hadn’t played a postseason game in seven years.

Semyon Varlamov battled Sergei Bobrovsky in a lopsided four game series. Even though Bobrovsky has two Vezina trophies to his name, Varlamov was by far the better goalie.

In four games against the Panthers, Varlamov posted a 1.76 GAA and .932 SV%.  Meanwhile Bobrovsky didn’t look much better than he did all season long.  He had a 3.08 GAA and .901 SV%.

However, the reason Varlamov was so good was because the team around him was outstanding.  The Islanders allowed only 25.8 shots against per game during the Qualifiers. No other team who has played a best-of-five qualifier has allowed less.

Additionally, four of the Panthers seven goals in the series came on the power-play. The perfectly placed shots were the ones that got by Varlamov. He kept the Panthers at bay when they were most dangerous, and made all the other saves he had to make.

As such, the Islanders seemed to keep most of the Panthers limited opportunities to the outside. His goals saved above average (GSAA) through Game 3 was 0.46, according to hockey-reference.com. That means he only saved about half a goal more than he should have based on league averages. During the season, however, his GSAA was 5.56.

This stat can be true either because he didn’t have to make many saves, or because the Panthers didn’t have great scoring chances throughout the series.

But Varlamov’s GAA and SV% tell us all we need to know. Varlamov did an excellent job shutting down the Panthers’ offensive weapons. He’s a huge reason the Islanders played so well as a team.

Even when Varlamov’s delay of game penalty in Game 3 led to a Panthers victory, head coach Barry Trotz started the Russian netminder in Game 4, and he rebounded excellently.

“Two years ago, I was injured,” Varlamov said. “Last year I was the backup. Finally, I have the opportunity to play. I’m very excited about it. Playoff time is the best time for hockey players.”

The Islanders and Varlamov face a tough test in the first round. After the Capitals deflated the Bruins yesterday, New York will rematch Washington.

“The intensity is only going to ramp up,” Mat Barzal said. “We get a few good practices in and just await who we’re playing here.”

As for the starting goalie, it will be Varlamov. Trotz admitted Greiss came close to earning the Game 1 start against Florida, but Varlamov played better in the exhibition game against the Rangers.
So far, he’s making his coach look like a genius.

Ben Baruch

Born and raised on Long Island. Isles fan since 2009. Studying journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park.