Varlamov Focused on Winning in Return to Colorado

A lot of things felt familiar to Semyon Varlamov on Tuesday afternoon.
There were views of the Rocky Mountains on the way to the rink, the crisp - and thin - air in the Mile High City, and of course the crease at Pepsi Center, where he tended goal for the Colorado Avalanche for eight seasons from 2011-19.

If there was one thing that was perhaps a little unfamiliar, it would be the inside of visitor's locker room, a place Varlamov wouldn't have had much use for during his Avs tenure. That's where he found himself on Tuesday afternoon, back in Colorado for the first time as a New York Islander.
"It's nice to be back, it brings back a lot of memories," Varlamov said. "I was here for eight years and I do have a lot of friends here. I would be excited to play tomorrow, in front of the Denver crowd. I'm just excited to be here."

Varlamov has already played the Avs once this season, pitching a 32-save shutout against his former team back on Jan. 6 at Nassau Coliseum. It was a satisfying win for Varlamov, who felt the requisite nerves and weirdness of playing against longtime teammates. But ask any of the Islanders who have returned to face former teams after long tenures and they'll attest that coming back brings a different set of emotions.
"The first time is always big. It's emotional," Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "He's got a lot of friends, everyone from teammates that are good friends, friends in the community, his family has friends. He had a really good career in Colorado. Everything from where he used to park his car to security guards, it's emotional. And you want to do well."
Being back elicits good memories for the Russian netminder, even through some of the Avs rebuilding years. He was a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2013-14, losing out to Tuukka Rask, and was coached by Hall of Fame netminder Patrick Roy. He's still got friends in the organization, like Eric Johnson, Nikita Zadorov and Vladislav Kamenev, and plenty outside of it. Varlamov even spent some time training in Aspen over the summer. Safe to say, he's used to playing in altitude.
"A lot of memories with this team. A lot of good years," Varlamov said. "The 2014 playoffs was a fun one to play, that was a good year for us. It's just great to play here, it's a great town, great fans."

Varlamov is insisting it'll be just another game when the puck drops on Wednesday night, but he also played it cool ahead of the first meeting between the teams, only letting on after how much it meant to him to shut out his former club.
"That must have felt good," Johnny Boychuk said. "Playing against your former team, if you're a player, you want to score a goal and if you're a goalie you don't want them to score a goal, so it was nice for him to get that. We were very happy for him because he's a good person, a good goalie and he deserves it."
Varlamov is in fine form as he comes back to Colorado, stopping 72-of-75 shots in his last two starts, albeit Islanders losses. He got the nod on Wednesday and it'll mark the first time he's started three straight games since Dec. 29 - Jan. 6. Overall, Varlamov is 17-11-4 this season with a 2.53 goals-against average, a .918 save percentage and two shutouts.
"I think we're letting him see a lot of the shots and he's feeling confident," Trotz said. "When you feel good, you're tracking good. It's like a batter in baseball, one week you're hitting .500 or .600 pace and the next week they can't even get close to the ball. It's the travel, the confidence, where you're playing, all of that stuff."

After spending eight years in Colorado, a video tribute is likely to commemorate his return. If it happens, it'll be warranted, as he ranks second in franchise history in wins (183), games played (389) and shutouts (21) all behind Roy.
That's not exactly top of mind for the Isles goalie, nor is focusing on what the crowd reception will be. As nice as it is to see the snow-capped mountains, and see old friends, Varlamov has his sights set on getting the Islanders back in the win column.
"It's just another game to be honest with you," Varlamov said. "We play so many games and we've played so many lately that this will just be another challenge for us. This is the last game on this road trip before we head home, so we want to get a W tomorrow."