WASHINGTON — Semyon Varlamov thought all day about facing former teammate Alex Ovechkin and trying to keep the player with the second-most goals in NHL history off the score sheet.
Varlamov did just that, stopping Ovechkin and the rest of the Washington Capitals on all 32 shots he faced to help the New York Islanders to a 3-0 victory Thursday night. Casually calling Ovechkin "the best player in the world" after turning aside three of his fellow Russian's shots, Varlamov picked up his second shutout of the season and 22nd of his career.
"He's already scored a few on me, and then every time he's scoring he gets very pumped about it," Varlamov said with a chuckle.