Semyon Varlamov To Make Second Start Of Season When Islanders Battle Senators

Semyon Varlamov will make his second start of the season, and his second since Nov. 29, 2024, when the New York Islanders battle the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.

The 38-year-old netminder made 19 saves on 23 shots in a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers on Oct. 5. 

While the Islanders have to do a better job in front of him, Varlamov struggled a bit with his angles in the loss, as he had during his game and a half in preseason. 

General manager Mathieu Darche and head coach Pete DeBoer expect Varlamov to make 30 starts this season.

“I think our goal here is to make sure Varly gets in the net at least once a week or once every 10 days," DeBoer said on Tuesday morning. "Different parts of the schedule sometimes dictate different things. If we’re playing five games in 10 days, it might be more. If we’re playing three games in 10 days, it might be less.”

Starting netminder Ilya Sorokin, whom the Islanders want to keep fresh for down the stretch, has gone 3-2-1 with a 1.81 GAA and a .984 SV%, including a shutout in his first five starts. 

Thursday marks Varlamov's first time playing the Senators in Ottawa since Nov. 7, 2024, three weeks before he went down with a knee injury. He made 28 saves in a 4-2 win.