Varlamov's Shootout Night in Ottawa Says More Than the Standings Do

The Islanders lost a point on Thursday, falling 2-1 in a shootout to Ottawa. In the standings, that's a small loss. For the Islanders, the bigger story was in the crease, where Semyon Varlamov gave them a reason to think their backup position might be settled sooner than many expected.

A tight game decided by one shot

Ottawa tied the game 1-1 in the second period, and neither side scored again through regulation or overtime. The shootout then came down to a single goal, with Shane Pinto the only shooter to beat the goaltender among the six who went. That's a hard way to lose, especially when the game was so evenly played. Shootouts are close to a coin flip for most teams, and this one kept the Islanders' losing streak alive without the offensive output to support their goalie.

Varlamov stopped 18 shots in the loss. Against a team with a potential Vezina Trophy candidate in its net, that's the kind of performance that shows a backup can hold up under pressure, not just survive a quiet night.

A comeback that took nearly two years

The context makes the night more meaningful. Varlamov spent 22 months rehabbing from a double knee replacement, a procedure no NHL goaltender has successfully returned from. He didn't play a single game last season at the NHL level, and his 2024-25 workload was just 10 games. His confidence came back in pieces: two AHL games at the end of last season, where he stopped 46 of 49 shots. Those were encouraging, but two minor-league appearances at the end of a season are a very different test from being the full-time backup over a long NHL schedule.

His season debut showed how fragile that confidence can be. Varlamov allowed three goals on 22 shots against the New York Rangers, and that's the sort of start that can turn a comeback story into a difficult conversation. Instead, he followed it with a much more composed night against Ottawa, giving the Islanders a backup who can keep them in games rather than one they have to hide.

Why goaltending comebacks are different

Here's the thing about goalies: their return is judged on results far more quickly than most. A depth defenseman coming back from injury can slide into the lineup and give a team a boost without carrying the entire game on his shoulders. Gabriel Landeskog returning to the Colorado Avalanche's middle six after nearly three seasons away didn't tilt the team's fortunes one way or the other. A goaltender doesn't have that margin. If he struggles, the feel-good story evaporates quickly and the organization has to weigh whether the backup spot is working.

That's why the Islanders' situation is more demanding than the emotional arc suggests. Ilya Sorokin is one of the league's best goaltenders, and he's going to play the bulk of the starts. Any team with a top-tier starter still needs a backup who can win or at least steal a point when the starter needs a night off. If Varlamov couldn't deliver that level of reliability, the organization would have faced a tough decision about his place on the roster. Thursday didn't settle that question, but it moved him in the right direction.

What to watch next

My read is that the next few weeks matter more than this one game. Varlamov is 38, and a goalie his age coming off a long layoff needs to show he can handle consistent workloads, not just a single strong performance. The useful signals are how he bounces back from weaker nights, whether his save percentage holds across back-to-back starts and how the coaching staff distributes games between him and Sorokin.

That said, the early evidence is encouraging. Going toe-to-toe with a top goalie and making 18 saves in a one-goal shootout loss doesn't prove he can carry a full season. It does buy Varlamov time, and it gives the Islanders a backup they can trust a little more than they did a week ago.