Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov makes a save against the Lightning during the second overtime in Game 5 of the NHL Eastern Conference final on Tuesday in Edmonton, Alberta. Credit: AP/JASON FRANSON
It may have been the first time this year that Semyon Varlamov showed an emotion. It certainly was a first during this postseason.
Jordan Eberle’s goal, at 12:30 of the second overtime, had just given the Islanders an exhausting, 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night in Edmonton, and kept the season alive. And Varlamov, the unflappable Islanders goalie whose 36 saves had kept them in it for so long, skated toward his teammates, who were mobbing Eberle at the far end of the ice.