Semyon Varlamov #40 of the Islanders celebrates his 2-0 shutout victory against the Washington Capitals in Game Five to win the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 20, 2020 in Toronto. Credit: Getty Images/Elsa
“Var-ly” has a ring to it as hockey chants go, and Semyon Varlamov did hear it from Islanders fans at times before the season paused because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the new guy in net has missed out this month on what in another time would have been a regular chorus of “Var-ly, Var-ly, Var-ly” at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum.