As good as opening night was, the Islanders were the exact opposite of that on Saturday during their 5-0 loss to the Rangers. Same teams, same building, completely different result and a few causes for concern.
Let’s get to the thoughts:
How’s Varlamov?
Sore, no doubt — physically and emotionally. One of the cardinal rules of NHL warmups is don’t shoot high on your own goalie. In the Billy Smith era, a high shot in practice might get you chased around the rink. Cal Clutterbuck’s shot on Semyon Varlamov wasn’t a headhunter, but it caught Varlamov in the collarbone/throat area and that sent the Isles starter to the locker room halfway through warmups at the Garden and brought Ilya Sorokin into his first NHL game.
“It’s almost like running your quarterback over in warmup,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. “Players have got to recognize the goaltender is the most important player on your team.
