- Semyon Varlamov made 20 saves for his first NHL win since Nov. 14, 2024
- Islanders beat the Predators 4-3 in a shootout after blowing a three-goal lead
- Read below for the video of New York mobbing him
Semyon Varlamov has his win.
The 38-year-old goalie stopped 20 shots Tuesday night as the Islanders beat the Predators 4-3 in a shootout in Nashville. It was his first NHL victory since Nov. 14, 2024, a gap of 712 days that included double partial knee replacements.
Varlamov talked about the moment after the game.
“It’s an amazing feeling, a very special moment. A year ago, to be honest with you, I didn’t see this coming. It was such a grind, like the last two years, to get to this point when you have the opportunity to play and then compete at the highest level in the world.”
Watch the Islanders swarm him after Bo Horvat’s shootout winner:
It took a while to get there. New York led 3-0 early in the second period, but Nashville tied it on Ryan O’Reilly’s goal at 4:16 of the third. Varlamov poke-checked O’Reilly in the first round of the shootout, Filip Forsberg shot wide in the second, and Kyle Palmieri and Horvat scored for the Islanders.
Varlamov had lost his first three starts of the season (0-1-2), including a 3-2 overtime loss to the Kings on Oct. 22. His last win came in a 5-2 victory at Vancouver, and it was his first NHL start in 676 days when he got back in against the Rangers earlier this month.
Matthew Schaefer helped get the game to the shootout by playing all five minutes of overtime.
Islanders coach Peter DeBoer was asked about the doubts before the season. He said the team signed Vitek Vanecek in July because nobody knew what to expect.
“Listen, the discussions in the summer, I don’t think anyone was sure, because it was such an unheard of comeback with what he had gone through. That was the reason we signed the goaltending depth we did, because I don’t think anyone was sure.”
Vanecek went to Hamilton of the AHL once Varlamov proved in camp he could serve as Ilya Sorokin’s backup.
Horvat was asked what the win meant to the room.
“It’s been a long time coming, and he’s been playing well up to this point, and to finally see him get that win the way he did, making big saves and pulling through for him, it definitely feels good for us.”
Take a look at the locker room celebration, where Varlamov puts on the orange hard hat while a teammate tells him it’s his first win of the year:
The Islanders improved to 6-4-2 with the win.
