- Semyon Varlamov gets the start for the Islanders against the Rangers at MSG
- The 38-year-old hasn’t played an NHL game since Nov. 29, 2024
- Read below for what DeBoer and the Isles said, plus video of Varlamov’s new mask
Semyon Varlamov is back in an NHL crease.
Islanders head coach Pete DeBoer confirmed after Tuesday’s morning skate that Varlamov will start against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. It’s his first NHL game in 676 days, going back to Nov. 29, 2024.
Getting here took two partial knee replacements and close to two years of rehab. Varlamov is believed to be the first player in NHL history to resume his career after having both knees partially replaced.
DeBoer was asked why he went with Varlamov in a division game this early, just the Islanders’ third game of the season. He said he didn’t want the veteran sitting around.
“He played really well in preseason, he’s ready to go,” DeBoer said. “I don’t want to overplay (Sorokin) so I want to get him in there, and I also don’t want to have him sit for two or three weeks with what he’s gone through and be really cold going in there.”
The coach also sees a real tandem forming with Ilya Sorokin, who stopped 37 shots in a 6-0 shutout of the Devils on Saturday.
“I really believe with what I saw in Varly that we have two very good goalies,” DeBoer said.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau talked about watching his teammate grind through the rehab. He said the room could tell Varlamov was coming back.
“He gave that vibe that, ‘I’m going to do it, I’ll be the first one in history to ever do it,’” Pageau said. “I think we all felt it.”
Ryan Pulock, a teammate since 2019, said a return wasn’t a sure thing even six months ago. Varlamov then played two AHL games with Bridgeport in April and won both, allowing three goals total.
Pulock thinks the comeback doesn’t get talked about enough.
“It’s never really been done, and I don’t really know if it will be done again,” Pulock said. “And it’s really impressive what he’s been able to accomplish to his body in a position to play.”
Varlamov has new gear for the occasion too. Check out Varlamov and Sorokin walking through their 2026-27 masks in this video:
MSG has been a friendly building for him. Varlamov is 10-3-1 with a .928 save percentage and four shutouts in 14 career games there, and all four shutouts came in an Islanders sweater.
He got his first taste of game action back in the preseason, making 10 saves in relief of Sorokin against the Rangers on Sept. 22. That appearance came a few weeks after GM Mathieu Darche called his recovery “almost a miracle.”
His career line sits at 289 wins, a 2.65 GAA and 41 shutouts across 621 regular-season games with Washington, Colorado and the Islanders. He goes for No. 290 when the puck drops at MSG at 7:30 p.m. ET.
