Varlamov Waited 712 Days for a Win — Islanders Nearly Gave It Away
GOATIFYFor 712 days, Semyon Varlamov had not been credited with an NHL victory. Two partial knee replacements, an exhausting rehabilitation and a return that once seemed improbable stood between the veteran goaltender and another celebration. On Tuesday night in Nashville, the 38-year-old finally got one. The New York Islanders beat the Predators 4-3 in a shootout on October 27, 2026, and the entire bench poured toward Varlamov's crease.
The celebration was earned, but it nearly disappeared. New York squandered a 3-0 lead, needed desperate defensive work late in regulation and then survived an extraordinary five-minute overtime shift from teenage defenseman Matthew Schaefer. This was both a comeback story and a reminder that the Islanders still have plenty to fix.
A 712-day wait ended with a save, not a speech
A goaltender's comeback can be measured in practices, medical clearances and minutes played. None of those measures quite captures the emotional difference between being back in the league and winning a game. Varlamov had already crossed the first threshold earlier this month, when he made his first NHL appearance since November 29, 2024. Nashville finally gave him the second. His 20 saves on 23 shots were not a flawless performance, but they were enough to withstand a dangerous third period and force a shootout.
The medical context makes the result extraordinary. Varlamov had each knee partially replaced and spent almost two years rebuilding the physical capacity and confidence demanded by NHL goaltending. He returned through two late-season games with Bridgeport in the American Hockey League, winning both and allowing three goals combined. Those appearances established that he could play again; they could not guarantee that his body would hold up through the speed, traffic and unpredictable reactions of an NHL game.
There was plenty of pressure in Nashville. New York's three-goal cushion evaporated, and Varlamov had to keep the score tied while the Predators pressed for a winner. He made an important late stop on Filip Forsberg, then showed the composure of a veteran in the shootout. Ryan O'Reilly's attempt ended with a well-timed pokecheck; Forsberg's effort went wide. Kyle Palmieri and Bo Horvat converted for the Islanders. Varlamov's first victory since November 14, 2024 was also his 290th in the NHL.
The wider significance is practical as well as emotional. A club cannot ask Ilya Sorokin to carry every difficult night. If Varlamov can provide credible starts, New York gains flexibility in its schedule and a more sustainable workload for its No. 1. One victory does not settle his durability over a full season, but it changes the question from whether he can return to whether the Islanders can use him confidently. That is meaningful progress.
The Islanders built a 3-0 lead — then made the night harder
The first 22 minutes looked like the sort of controlled road performance New York wants to produce more often. Anthony Duclair redirected Jean-Gabriel Pageau's pass during four-on-four play at 3:07 of the opening period. Five minutes later, Ondrej Palat fed Brayden Schenn for a close-range finish. It was Schenn's 300th NHL goal, a substantial personal milestone tucked inside a night that would soon belong to his goaltender.
Bo Horvat made it 3-0 just 68 seconds into the second period, finishing a cross-ice feed from Matthew Schaefer. New York had goals from different lines, quick puck movement and the kind of early cushion that should allow a team to manage the pace. Instead, Nashville found a route back through pressure and the Islanders' inability to close down dangerous areas consistently.
Forsberg struck on the power play at 9:42 of the second, taking a creative pass from Jonathan Marchessault near the post. Alexander Kerfoot cut the deficit to one at 13:02 after a shot from Nils Hoglander created a loose puck near Varlamov's crease. Then, at 4:16 of the third, O'Reilly found a rebound and tied it 3-3. A comfortable-looking lead had disappeared, and the Islanders had to survive the remaining pressure rather than dictate the game.
It would be too simple to blame the entire collapse on Varlamov. Goaltenders are accountable for rebounds and positioning, but the defensive group is responsible for denying second chances and protecting the middle of the ice. Nashville's rally was powered by puck retrievals, a power-play opportunity and pressure around the crease. Those are team-management problems. New York's late commitment to shot-blocking helped preserve the tie, but it came after the team had allowed a winning position to slip away.
The scoreline also says something about the Predators. Nashville's recovery showed resilience, yet the opening deficit left too much work to do. For the Islanders, the lesson is sharper: the same team capable of producing three well-constructed goals must learn to protect its advantages without retreating into emergency defense. Against stronger finishers, that habit will cost points.
Matthew Schaefer played every second of overtime — and still had more to give
While Varlamov supplied the emotional center of the night, Matthew Schaefer delivered its most unusual statistical achievement. The 19-year-old defenseman skated all five minutes of overtime. Since real-time time-on-ice tracking began in 2009-10, no skater had been recorded playing an entire five-minute extra period. Schaefer's total ice time reached a career-high 32 minutes and 16 seconds, an enormous workload for a player still early in his NHL career.
There was a tactical explanation for the shift. Schaefer drew a penalty early in overtime, and New York retained the puck during the delayed call. A lengthy stretch of controlled possession followed before the Islanders received a four-on-three power play. With the puck staying on their sticks, the coaching staff could keep its most dynamic young defenseman on the ice. Schaefer even tracked back to prevent a potential breakaway as the advantage ended, showing the recovery speed that makes him so difficult to remove.
His influence had started well before overtime. Schaefer's pass across the offensive zone created Horvat's goal early in the second period and extended the defenseman's point streak to five games. The assist also added to an already exceptional teenage résumé. His ability to advance the puck, support attacks and recover defensively gives New York a weapon that changes how opponents have to defend against the Islanders.
Still, a five-minute shift should not become a weekly benchmark. Elite talent does not cancel the physiological demands of repeated accelerations, battles and transitions. Schaefer can be trusted with major responsibility while the club also manages his long-term workload. The most encouraging detail was not simply that he stayed out for five minutes; it was that he remained engaged enough to defend a dangerous counterattack at the end.
Schaefer's rise is particularly valuable to a roster looking for dependable offense beyond its established forwards. He can turn a defensive recovery into a chance at the other end in seconds. Nashville saw that in the setup for Horvat, and New York saw it again in overtime. The challenge for the Islanders is to turn such brilliance into a stable team identity rather than a nightly rescue operation.
Horvat finished the job, but the next test is consistency
Bo Horvat's night contained both the skill that built New York's lead and the nerve that finished the game. He scored in regulation from Schaefer's pass and converted his shootout chance after Palmieri had already beaten Juuse Saros. With Varlamov denying Nashville's attempts, the Islanders escaped with a 4-3 victory and two standings points. The final sequence looked composed, even if much of the preceding game had not.
There were several layers to the result. The Islanders improved to 6-4-2, ended a brief winless spell and earned their first victory in Nashville since October 2017. Schenn's 300th goal gave the team another milestone, while Varlamov's comeback brought a rare moment when the entire bench could celebrate a teammate's long struggle. The locker-room emotion mattered because it reflected a group that had watched the rehabilitation process up close.
But it would be a mistake to treat the shootout as evidence that everything is fixed. The Islanders surrendered three consecutive goals, required five blocked shots in the final 1:44 of regulation and failed to settle the game with an overtime power play. Those are tangible areas for review. Cleaner exits under pressure, tighter protection around rebounds and more decisive puck movement with a man advantage would make future victories less dependent on last-minute interventions.
The next challenge arrives on the road against Minnesota. That game will not reproduce the drama of a 712-day wait, but it will reveal whether New York can translate the energy of Nashville into a more reliable performance. A healthier goaltending rotation, Schaefer's playmaking and Horvat's finishing give the Islanders several ways to win. Their ceiling will depend on connecting those strengths with better defensive discipline.
For Varlamov, there is no need to attach an exaggerated prediction to one game. His comeback is already a remarkable sporting achievement. For the Islanders, the job is to make sure his next start is less dramatic. A team with playoff ambitions should be capable of protecting a three-goal lead without asking a 38-year-old returning from two knee surgeries to save the evening.
Varlamov's first victory since November 2024 cannot erase the surgeries or the months when returning to the NHL was uncertain. It can, however, change the way this Islanders season feels. New York has proof that its veteran backup can survive a tense road game, and Schaefer has offered another glimpse of a remarkable ceiling.
The warning is just as important as the inspiration: a team that needs its goaltender to rescue a three-goal lead cannot rely on emotion every night. The Islanders should celebrate Varlamov, then fix the mistakes that nearly denied him his moment.
