Russian goalkeeper played in the NHL after almost two years
Semyon Varlamov missed almost two years due to the replacement of both knee joints. The Russian has not played in the NHL since November 29, 2024
Russian goalkeeper “New York Islanders” Semyon Varlamov held his first official match in almost two years in the NHL.
His team lost to the New York Rangers 2-5. Among the winners, goals were scored by Oliver Björkstrand (7th and 38th minutes), a hat-trick scored by Alexis LaFrenier (21, 59, 59). The losers scored Bo Horvath (22) and Calum Ritchie (25).
38-year-old Varlamov reflected 19 of 22 shots (86.4%). For the hockey player, this game was the first in the NHL since November 29, 2024.
Varlamov's long break was caused by the replacement of both knee joints. At the end of last season, he played two games for the Islanders Farm Club in the AHL, and in September he took to the ice twice in NHL preseason games.
After the match, the Russian admitted that he enjoyed the game a lot, although at first he felt some emotional uplift, especially during the warm-up.
Varlamov has been in the NHL since 2008. During that time, he played for the Washington Capitals and Colorado Avalanche, playing 621 games. On account of 289 wins (49th result in league history), while the goalkeeper conceded an average of 2.65 goals and reflected 91.6% of shots.
