Varlamov skated on his own on Thursday morning.

EAST MEADOW, NY -- Semyon Varlamov has been sidelined since the New York Islanders' 5-4 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals.

But we received positive news on Thursday morning as Varlamov skated on his own.

“Varlamov skated this morning,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. “No shots, nothing.”

In the 13 games he's missed, Ilya Sorokin has been given the bulk of the workload, starting 12 straight games before head coach Patrick Roy turned to Marcus Hogberg for a start.

While the schedule has been kind, with time between games for Sorokin to rest, Varlamov must get back in the fold as soon as possible.

The Islanders need to win games, and it's clear that even Sorokin, who is not at his best, is more trusted than Hogberg despite the third-string goaltender's strong play this season in limited action.

Long Island plays a lot in the month of January, 12 games. The Islanders need to win games out of a playoff spot to put themselves back in the playoff conversation.

That means if Varlamov can't return soon, Sorokin will likely be run into the ground, as we've seen so far.  

There's no point in rushing Varlamov, as being 36-year-old with a lower-body injury means there's a greater risk of a setback. 

Hogberg likely earned a boatload of trust when he stopped 38 of 41 shots in a 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 29. Maybe we'll see him a tad more going forward until Varlamov can return. 

Keeping Sorokin fresh, especially if the Islanders continue to fall out of it, is vital for the long-term outlook, especially after this past summer's back surgery. 

Varlamov can certainly help with that.