Islanders want Semyon Varlamov in net ‘at least once a week’ after return from long injury lay-off

EAST MEADOW, NY — The Islanders certainly are not taking the strength of their opponents or the logistics of their schedule into consideration when deciding when to give veteran goaltender Semyon Varlamov a start.  Tuesday night seemed like the perfect setting for the 38-year-old —who had missed 676 days after undergoing a double partial knee replacement — to ease into a second start of the season. The Islanders were at home with the lowly Vancouver Canucks in town. Instead, starter Ilya Sorokin got the nod, meaning Varlamov will most likely go on Thursday against a 5-1-0 Senators squad in Ottawa. His first start in nearly two years came last week at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers. Rather than prioritizing the easiest portions of the schedule for Varlamov to get in net, Islanders head coach Pete DeBoer's main concern is getting Sorokin more days off amid busy stretches of the season. "I think our goal here is I want to make sure Varly gets in the net at least once a week