Semyon Varlamov started for the Islanders on Saturday night against the Penguins at Nassau Coliseum, his 500th NHL game.
He became just the 76th NHL goalie to reach that milestone and the 14th active one to do so.
"He brings trust to the group," coach Barry Trotz said. "He brings consistency to the group. When you don’t have that trust in your goaltender, you don’t play the same way. You’re a little hesitant. You’re not as aggressive. Every mistake ends up in the back of your net. That’s how you feel."
Trotz is trying to develop that trust with highly-touted Russian rookie Ilya Sorokin as well.