Interesting, because I just saw this…
Usually indicates starter. Lots of chatter on social media about which way to go. To be honest, Varlamov is one of those “backups” that really isn’t a backup. When he’s hot, he’s the kind of guy who can steal games. Similar situation to what we have. Sorokin struggled down the stretch and Varlamov got hot. Turning to Sorokin now, down 0-2 against a team who just delivered a potential gut punch, seems like the logical move. But unless they pick up their play, it doesn’t matter who is in net. It’s not like they lost either of the last 2 games because of Varlamov.