Islanders Semyon Varlamov’s fantastic record after getting pulled

New York Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov typically puts up a strong performance after he gets pulled.

Semyon Varlamov is expected to start between the pipes for the New York Islanders in Game 3 versus the Philadelphia Flyers. In his last outing for the Islanders Varlamov was pulled 15 minutes into the contest after allowing three goals on ten shots from the Flyers.

Confidence is still high with Varlamov between the pipes. At 5on5, Varlamov is one of the better goalies still in the playoffs. At 5on5, his 1.12GAA ranks number one for goalies still in the postseason, as is his 0.954SV%, and his 5.44GSAA is only bested by Vancouver Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom.

But how does Varlamov tend to respond after getting pulled?

You’d expect a goalie to come back strong after getting yanked. Looking over the last five years of games his career, Varly does just that. He typically bounces back and performs incredibly well after getting the boot from the crease during a game.

Answers For It

Since the 2015-16 season where Varlamov was a member of the Colorado Avalanche as well as the New York Islanders, he’s been pulled eleven different times.

In those eleven games, Varlamov holds a great 7-3-1 record. He also averages a 2.55GAA and a 0.919SV%. When Varly gets pulled he answers in his next start between the pipes.

The pulling in Game 2 may have been a little harsh, of the three goals scored on Varlamov in the first 15 minutes of the game. Only one of those goals was truly his fault. And that was Kevin Hayes’s second goal of the contest.

But through 15 minutes of the first period, the Islanders were clearly outplayed. Pulling the goalie was the Barry Trotz only card to play to get his team back on track.

Trotz later stated that he didn’t pull Varlamov because of his play. The team in front of him wasn’t supporting him enough and he needed a “spark”.

It almost worked. After Varlamov was replaced by Thomas Greiss, the Isles fought their way back into the game and pushed it to overtime. Sure, the Islanders lost in the extra frame, but fighting back after going down 3-0 is incredible.

With a few extra days to rest and get back to his best, Varlamov will have a chance to show his efforts in Game 2 were a fluke. With a 7-3-1 record after getting pulled I’m confident that Varlamov will be the same goalie we’ve seen through the postseason so far in Game 3 (assuming he gets the start of course).