New York Islanders Goalie Semyon Varlamov Wins Again After Knee Surgery And Setbacks

Islanders Goalie Semyon Varlamov Wins Again After Knee Surgery© Instagram

For over two years, Semyon Varlamov waited to celebrate another NHL win. On Tuesday night in Nashville, he finally got one. The Islanders goaltender stopped 20-of-23 shots in a 4-3 shootout victory over the Predators, his first NHL win since November 14, 2024, and a milestone 712 days in the making. “It's an amazing feeling, a very special moment,” Varlamov said after the game. “A year ago, to be honest with you, I didn't see this coming. It was such a grind, like the last two years, to get to this point when you have the opportunity to play and then compete at the highest level in the world. I mean, I'm very thankful for this opportunity.”

That grind included partial knee replacements on both knees in late 2024, a full missed season in 2025-26, and two conditioning starts with the Bridgeport Islanders last April just to rebuild the case for a comeback. GM Mathieu Darche called his return “almost a miracle” at the start of this season. Tuesday gave that phrase a win attached to it.

The Drama in Nashville

New York built a 3-0 lead in regulation on goals from Anthony Duclair, Brayden Schenn (his 300th NHL goal), and Bo Horvat. Then Nashville scored three straight to tie it, and Varlamov held firm through overtime, including a nifty poke check on Ryan O'Reilly that kept the game alive. Kyle Palmieri and Horvat converted in the shootout, and Varlamov turned away Nashville's three attempts to close it out. It was the Islanders' first win in Nashville since October 28, 2017.

What It Means for the Islanders

New York snapped a two-game winless skid (0-1-1) that had included a 6-3 loss in Dallas on Sunday. The win moved them to 6-4-2 on the season. Coach Pete DeBoer called it “a great response game by our group” and added, “This is a hard league to win in, and this is a hard building to win in. So it's two big points for us.”

For Varlamov, the points were secondary to proving something that looked impossible not long ago.