Semyon Varlamov Proving NY Islanders Right by Trusting Him

Oct 6, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (40) the game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Semyon Varlamov Proving NY Islanders Right by Trusting Him

Originally posted on New York Islanders On SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Oct 16, 2026 10:52 AM ET

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One of the reasons that the 2025-26 season fell apart down the stretch for the New York Islanders was their over-reliance on starting goalie Ilya Sorokin.

He admitted to wearing down at the end of the season, being called upon to start a lot of games as the team attempted to remain in the playoff hunt. With his waning production, the team followed suit, slowly dropping out of the race.

Looking to avoid a repeat of that, the Islanders are turning to veteran Semyon Varlamov. His comeback story is a special one. After having partial replacement surgery on both knees, he made his return to the ice after nearly two years away.

He made his second start of the season on the road against the Ottawa Senators, going up against former Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark, who has been on fire to start the season. Ullmark kept up that stellar play against New York, improving to 6-0-0 in the 2-1 shootout victory with a .948 save percentage and 1.20 goals-against average this season.

Semyon Varlamov went toe-to-toe with Linus Ullmark in matchup

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As that final score suggests, Varlamov was up to the task facing off against such a strong opposing goaltender. He stopped 18 of 19 shots, drawing praise from head coach Peter DeBoer for his performance.

“What he's done to get here, and then what he did tonight was so, so good to see. I think everyone wishes we could have won one for him, but he was outstanding,” DeBoer said, via Tyler Brosious of NHL.com. “We saw game one; he got through against the Rangers. I thought he was pretty good, and then tonight, he looked like the old Varly, which is great to see, and it's great for us because we're going to need him.”

Varlamov and the team benefited from some close calls going their way early in the game. The Senators had two goals wiped off the board in the first period; the first actually hit the crossbar and didn’t go in, while the second was challenged for offsides and the Islanders got it right.

He settled in, with the only goal against him coming courtesy of Ridly Greig in the second period.

Hear from Ryan Pulock and Head Coach Pete DeBoer after tonight's game in Ottawa.
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) October 16, 2026

This was a much better performance overall than in his season debut against the New York Rangers. Varlamov looked more settled in, and the team performed better defensively in front of him.

New York limited Ottawa to only seven high-danger chances in the contest in 5-on-5 situations. When the team needed him to step up, he did, including making several saves in overtime after Adam Pelech was called for tripping and received a two-minute minor.

It will be interesting to see where DeBoer gets Varlamov his next start because the team doesn’t have a back-to-back set until Nov. 27-28 against the Winnipeg Jets and Philadelphia Flyers. But he will assuredly be out there before that point to keep him sharp.

This article first appeared on New York Islanders On SI and was syndicated with permission.

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