Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov tests positive for COVID-19
The Islanders' Semyon Varlamov reaches for a loose puck during the second period of an NHL game against the Flyers on Jan. 18 in Philadelphia. Credit: AP/Matt Slocum
Semyon Varlamov was placed in COVID-19 protocol shortly after Saturday night’s faceoff against the Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, the first time this season the Islanders have had a goalie test positive.
Now they must hope Ilya Sorokin, who stepped in as the starter against the Flames, also does not wind up testing positive as a close contact.
Varlamov was the scheduled starter and led the team onto the ice for warmups. He even was listed as the starter on the official roster sheet. But Sorokin, who made 33 saves in Friday night’s 3-1 loss in Edmonton, was on the ice to start the game and Varlamov was not on the bench.
"He was scheduled to play,’’ coach Barry Trotz said of Varlamov. "He warmed up. He was feeling fine, but while we’re in Canada, you have to test. We got the results, there was maybe 10 minutes before we were going back on the ice, so Sorokin had to go in there last minute. He’ll have to re-test. I couldn’t tell you much past that, if they got the results on the second test or not.’’
It is unclear how long the Islanders will be without Varlamov. He will need to quarantine in Canada unless Saturday’s test result proves to be a false positive. The NHL stopped testing of asymptomatic players after the All-Star break, but the Islanders are heading to Buffalo to face the Sabres on Tuesday night, and testing is required to cross the Canada-U.S. border.
"It has happened to us all year,’’ Jean-Gabriel Pageau said after the Islanders’ 5-2 loss to the Flames. "It’s nothing different. It’s unfortunate to have that news right before puck drop. He was feeling fine, that’s the good thing.’’
The emergency backup goalie was Colin Cooper, 27, who played four seasons at Mount Royal University in Calgary.
Weird memories
The Islanders’ travels across Western Canada have brought back vivid memories of the days leading to the NHL’s pause of the season in 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They faced the Flames on Saturday night at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary. That’s where the team was on March 12, 2020, when instead of conducting a morning skate and playing a game that night, the Islanders headed home, not to play again for more than four months. They ultimately reached the Eastern Conference finals in the Edmonton playoff bubble.
The Islanders’ last game before the pause was on March 10, 2020, in Vancouver. They opened this four-game road trip with a 6-3 win in Vancouver on Wednesday before losing, 3-1, on Friday night in Edmonton.
"It’s a little weird," Trotz said. "This trip has brought different memories. Sort of the same sort of trip. So there were some strange feelings.
"In Calgary, we’re back at the same hotel where we got the news. We left after supper that day and flew back to New York. It seems like it was 10 years ago but it also seems like it was yesterday. It is sort of surreal."
It’s also been a little weird for the Islanders to be on the road. They played only four games away from UBS Arena between Nov. 20-Feb. 2.
The Islanders will head to Buffalo and have a day off on Super Bowl Sunday before ending the road trip against the Sabres on Tuesday night.
"It’s always good to be at home but, as a team, we have such a good group that when we travel, it gives us a chance to keep bonding," Pageau said. "We like to be together, to have fun, to chat. To play after that just makes it easier."
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
