Semyon Varlamov says he’s focused on hockey, not his personal life.
Waiting to hear if he’ll be charged following his arrest on allegations of domestic abuse and kidnapping, Varlamov told the Denver Post on Wednesday he doesn’t think about the issues swirling over his head.
“Believe me, I don’t think about the situation anymore,” the Avs goalie explained. “I have lots of things to do. I have a lot of friends in town, some good Russian friends too.”
Whether it’s related to the arrest or not, Varlamov has struggled since being detained overnight on Oct. 30. His numbers since the arrest -- 3-4-0, .912 save percentage, 2.73 GAA -- are OK, but way off his stellar opening month statistics, when he went 7-1-0 with a 1.76 GAA and .945 save percentage.
Some of this, obviously, is regressing to the mean. There was little chance Varlamov would run the table with a sub-.200 GAA and a save percentage over .940, and the Avs were bound to come back to earth after starting the season 12-1-0.
But it will be interesting to see how the situation unfolds from here. Varlamov was outstanding in his last start, stopping 36 of 37 shots in a 5-1 win over the defending Cup champion Blackhawks, and his personal issues will come to a head soon as the Denver District Attorney has until Dec. 2 to press charges.
Until then, Varlamov says he’s going to put all his attention into playing hockey.
“My job is not easy,” he said. “I have to stay focused on my job.”
