ST. LOUIS – He speaks so softly, it catches you off guard. You have to take another step toward him, coming ever so close to invading the personal space bubble just to hear him.
There Semyon Varlamov stands, minutes after stopping 44-of-45 shots against the St. Louis Blues, and he’s as casual as can be following backstopping his Colorado Avalanche to a 4-1 win in a building that’s haunted them over the years.
And yes, make no mistake, this is still Semyon Varlamov’s team. He’s their goaltender. Jonathan Bernier stepped in and performed admirably when Varlamov missed January with yet another groin issue, the injury that has plagued him throughout his career.
I’m always struck by how normal goalies are without all that gear on. In a locker room that was filled with hooting and hollering just minutes earlier, Varlamov’s soft-spoken interview is a reminder that goalies are just a different breed.
He begins by talking about a grueling schedule that has seen him appear in every game since February 14, a stretch of 15 consecutive games.
“The schedule is really rough right now, playing every other day,” Varlamov explains. “I try to play my best every night because I know every point matters, every point counts this time of year. So right now it’s like a playoff for us. Every game is a huge game and I’m proud of the way we played today and proud of the way we battled for 60 minutes. It’s a tough building to play in. I don’t know when the last time we won in this building was so that was good for us.”
It’s been a strange journey for Varlamov to get to this point. Last season, he put up a career-worst effort as his goals-against-average skyrocketed and his save percentage plummeted. He was the starting goaltender for the worst team in hockey, years removed from his second-place finish in the Vezina Trophy, given annually to the NHL’s top goaltender. He was struggling with his oft-balky groin before deciding to have surgery to correct the issue.
The Avalanche took a leap of faith, protected him in the expansion draft and losing young backup Calvin Pickard in the process. The message was clear: Varlamov was their guy.
Then the Avalanche hit free agency and filled their vacancy with Bernier, who had previously been a top prospect (he and Varlamov were both drafted in the first round in 2006) and had starting experience from his time in Toronto. They nabbed an upper-echelon backup in case of Varlamov’s injury woes continuing but the message continued to be clear as the season kicked off: Varlamov was Colorado’s guy.
Games began and neither Varlamov nor Bernier impressed early but by default, Varlamov continued to hang on to his job. He recorded an October save percentage of just .904, but there were encouraging moments along the way. He followed it up with a small improvement in November, producing a .907 SP he went 4-1-1. Things seemed to be trending in the right direction.
As the Avalanche schedule picked up in games, Varlamov’s workload went with it and he seemed to find his rhythm. He put up a respectable .914, which is right in the neighborhood of league average. After last season’s disaster in which the Avalanche gave up a league-high 276 goals, league average was a beacon of hope. Then, of course, came his injury and the Avalanche enjoyed a 10-game winning streak without him.
Varlamov eventually got healthy but for the first time, the message was murky: Colorado might be Bernier’s team now.
The 29-year-old Russian netminder responded to the challenge with his strongest play of the season as Bernier suffered a concussion. With the Avalanche hanging around in the play conversation despite losing Nathan MacKinnon and then Erik Johnson to injury, Varlamov produced a .916 in February.
Colorado surged into the playoff discussion, the spotlight bouncing around from MacKinnon, now a superstar and candidate for the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP, to Mikko Rantanen, the super sophomore who was overlooked no more, to Tyson Barrie and Nikita Zadorov for their work as the top pairing in Johnson’s absence.
And then there was Varlamov, whose steady play continued into March. In his six starts since March began, Varlamov has stopped 203-of-217 shots, good for a .935 save percentage. On this night, in this building, against a team that has had their number for so long, Varlamov didn’t flinch as his team leaned on him more and more. He stopped all 22 third-period shots the Blues threw his way.
“It definitely feels great right now after the game,” Varlamov said in his historically understated way. “We got two points and looking forward to playing the big time tomorrow night. We’ve been struggling in this building. Every time we played here, we got blasted. They play very well at home and we knew that. We scored the first two goals, that was huge.”
Dealing with the fatigue from appearing in 15 straight and facing a potential 16th straight game against the Nashville Predators tomorrow night at home, Varlamov shrugged it off, as he always does.
“At this time of year, you’re kind of tired. So you just need to simplify the game and play simple. That’s it,” he said.
Well okay then. What does the admittedly tired goaltender have to say about potentially taking the net for yet another crucial game as the Avalanche seek to solidify their playoff position?
Not much. Of course.
“The coach will make the decision tonight and tell me later,” Varlamov said nonchalantly. “I have to try to recover as fast as I can. Tomorrow is a new day and I will have to forget about this game and just move forward.”
This is a team that continues to play for one another and has talked about how much it loves coming to the rink as a group. And now, with 70 games of work in the books and 12 left to get into the playoffs, the message has once again become clear.
Semyon Varlamov is once again Colorado’s guy.
0 Comments (12 conversations)
K.Szela93
I think you have to play Varly again tomorrow. If Martin is between the pipes you’d have to believe it’s an automatic loss. This team is too good at home to just throw one away. The Preds played tonight too so fatigue will be a factor for both sides. Play Varly tomorrow, rest him up the next day and have him ready for the must win against the Wings.
phawksmulder
That was the best I’ve seen Varly in an awful long time. It’s going to be interesting watching how they play him coming up. The guy seems to need a rest, but he’s always performed at his best when the team leans on him more than one would think they should.
My main worry would still be the old groin injury. I don’t know time tables for injuries/surgeries like this, but with most you get back to game shape well before you get back to 100%. It’s clear Varly doesn’t look quite as athletic as a few years back, so I’m inclined to believe he’s still not 100% (although maybe it’s just the slow effects of time). I think of something like Tommy John surgery in baseball where, even though that procedure is extremely refined now and has come light-years from where it started, the guy is basically going to have a subpar first year back as a guarantee due to continued healing. How much extra risk is there in pushing Varly this hard? If they ride him this hard all the way to the playoffs, does that horse keep running or does it collapse?
Bob_W
Bednar has an interesting dilemma in deciding whether to play Varly Friday night. The Avs have just finished a road trip with 4 points when most had believed they would be lucky to get 1 or 2 or at best 3. If this team finishes the next 12 games at 7-5 or 6-4-2 or 5-3-4 they would have 98 points which has always been sufficient to make the playoffs. If Friday’s game was against Detroit and Sunday’s against Nashville it would be a no brainer to give Varly Friday night off but that is not the case. While you can never predict when an injury will occur it seems that one would be more likely if Varly continues without rest. On the other hand this playoff race is so tight that every point seems to be critical and right now this young team is reveling in playing in these tight situations. If it were me I would sit down with Varly, the head trainer and the team doctor. Let everyone have their say and let the trainer and doctor question and evaluate Varly. Then only if the decision for him to play was unanimous would I let him play Friday otherwise I would rest him. And if they get at least a point Friday I might rest him on Sunday as well.
MCraiger58
I definitely understand the temptation to play Varly tonight, but I think Bednar has to rest him. An injury would be devastating at this point. Even if its not an injury, he’ll be exhausted at the start of playoffs (assuming they make it) without rest. I feel that Bednar has to hope the kid (Martin) feeds off the energy in the locker room in the midst of this playoff race and comes up with a magical performance. Plus, as others have noted, the Avs have been great at home and Nashville is also playing tired.
Dan G
It’s a risk, but play Martin and have Varly rested for the Wings on Sunday. (Thurs-Fri back to back and then a 1:00 Sunday start is a lot) I know it is a risk to go with your 4th goalie, but it’s also a risk to overwork Varly. They have only one more back to back to deal with and we saw Bednar make the mistake of playing Varly one game too many just a week or so ago. Maybe the Avs can eek out a point Friday night with Martin in net.
gtq
Varly needs to sit Friday. It should be a no brainer. With Bernier concussed 2x in a short period of time I seriously question whether he will play again this season. Might as well see what Martin can do.
Nashville will probably be using their #2 also. Let the rest of the team try and win a game.
Jose
To rest or not to rest, that is the question. For me the big unknown factor is Martin. Bender and the team know how Martin plays from their practice sessions. Most of us really don’t have the information to make an informed decision. This will really be a test for Bednar and either way he will be criticized. There are some really thoughtful comments on this thread, and as we look back tomorrow we will see who was correct in their assessment. As for me, I would tend to lean toward playing Martin and try to protect him as much as possible. My main reason is to protect Varly and his health status. I don’t, however, like the idea of giving away the Preds game in hope of winning against the wings.
ColoradoFanOxford
We are already playing playoff hockey. The race for playoff spots is as intense as I can remember with a lot of teams already at 80 points. You cannot let one go by squad selection. If you play Martin, you play him against weaker opponent. There is a Hugh likelyhood than we get the Preds in the first round…at least right now. Varly is on a role and a great game against them willl get in their heads. When you are riding a hot steak you ride it. If Bernier was there…maybe. But with 7/5 home/road and big games against Vegas in there…no lost points at home. Back to back is tough in hockey but you ride the home crowds cheering and push through. Preds are also on a back-to-back. Everyone is tired…but you have to play best squad against best oppponents. Wings aren’t very good and perfect for Martin to start. But I am not Bednar.
Johnny M
Mmmm. Hot steak.
WellHungMacK
I’m in favor of playing Martin tonight. The Preds are tired, we will be tired. Both teams on back to backs that have to have flown last night. Nashville will also likely start Saros (who is no scrub) but he’s definitely no Rinne. Let Varly rest up as we’ll likely have to carry us for the remainder of the season.
Avsfan29
I think you play Martin and play a wide open run and gun game. Hope for the best. If Varly goes down again to injury, we might aswell have missed the playoffs because we’ll get destroyed. The avs are in a solid position and not nearly as desperate as they were 5 games ago. Play Martin. It would be interesting.
faydout
I wish we played nsh sunday and detroit tonight. That said, i think Id rather give 2 points to the eastern conference bottom feeder. Varly needs to get through this one and let him sit on Sunday.
Chris DeMott
Because these goalies are human and not video game bots, you need to rest Varly. There is a protocol with resting guys on back to backs for a reason. It’s because you don’t want them injured. It doesn’t make sense to take the chance of burning out your starting goalie or getting him injured. If the Avs want to make this run and actually be competitive in the playoffs they will need a rested and healthy Varly. It doesn’t matter who the stronger opponent is, you take care of your goalie. Next man up should be Spenser Martin.