Semyon Varlamov’s big night is way more important than a shootout win for the Islanders

The New York Islanders dropped a point when they lost in a shootout to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday evening. After the Senators tied the game 1-1 in the second period, neither team was able to score until the shootout, when Shane Pinto scored the lone goal amongst the six shooters. It was disappointing to lose the point, but the goaltending battle was the story.

It wasn't Linus Ullmark vs. Ilya Sorokin in Canada's capital. Semyon Varlamov was the goaltender who took the loss for the Islanders, receiving his second start of the season, with Sorokin unsurprisingly being the workhorse amongst the two. Charity case is a strong term to use, but it was the prevailing thought around Varlamov, who was handed the backup job after only playing 10 games in the 2024-25 season and none all of last season.

Varlamov spent 22 months rehabbing from a double-knee replacement, which is an injury that no NHL player has successfully returned from. The goaltender regained confidence last season with two AHL games at the end of the year, stopping 46 of 49 shots, but there was a big difference in playing two minor league games to end the season and being a full-time backup in an 84-game schedule.

Organizations don't care about your feel-good story

It was a great feel-good story, but a goaltender might be the one position in hockey where the story doesn't really matter. A depth defenseman can return from an injury and give the team a boost, even a forward like Gabriel Landeskog can be inserted into a team's middle-six after missing nearly three seasons and not hurt the Colorado Avalanche.

However, if a goalie struggles, then fans aren't going to have much time for a feel-good story, and that was heading toward the case when Varlamov allowed three goals on 22 shots in his season debut against the New York Rangers.

Sorokin is one of the league's top goaltenders, but the team still needs a competent backup. If Varlamov couldn't do that, then the organization was going to have to make the tough call and tell him, "Thanks for the dedication to return, but we need to cut you loose."

There is still time for Varlamov to prove that he can't put together a full season, but going toe-to-toe with a potential Vezina candidate, with 18 saves in a 2-1 shootout loss, definitely helps him gain more confidence and buys him more time within the organization. The 38-year-old isn't out of the woods yet, but Thursday night was a great start.

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