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Varlamov: I got my head straight
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Semyon Varlamov stops Martin Erat (AP Photo)
On Saturday against the Nashville Predators, Semyon Varlamov got a second chance to prove he had recovered from a couple of sub-par performances for the Washington Capitals earlier this season. The first chance was given to him when Jose Theodore could not continue against the San Jose Sharks. Varlamov took both of the chances with overall success.
I have to admit that he must have felt really good after the warm reception he was given by the local crowd inside the Verizon Center on this cold Saturday night.
Varlamov did give up an awful goal to J.P. Dumont, but recovered well in the shootout to get another win and enough to be named the third star of the game. I caught up with Varlamov in the locker room to chat about his performance and to find out whether the “football fever” is catching up to him (the answer: no).
This was another good game for you overall. But this game started somewhat interesting for you with two shorthanded breakaways against you. Did it wake you up right away?
That sure did wake me up. It was good that I was able to save on both of those. It gave me a lot of confidence and put me right into the game. It was easier for me to play after those saves.
But the second period was a lot different.
Yes, the pace of the game dropped considerably. In the first tem minutes of the period I don’t think I faced any shots. I was just standing there trying to concentrate. It is difficult to play when you do not face any shots. While Dan Ellis was always involved, I think it was easier for him in this sense.
And then there was a counter attack and this shot from that Predators’ defenseman [Shea Weber] that went top shelf. I didn’t even get a chance to raise my glove; I didn’t get a chance to react.
And that second goal… It was my mistake when the puck went in to the near corner of the net. I don’t like to make excuses, but there was a slight deflection and the puck hit my pad as I was moving and went five hole.
After the goal you were shown on the TV screen talking to yourself.
Yes, I was telling myself to forget about that goal, that everything was alright. I was just trying not to think about that goal. I was trying to cheer myself up a bit.
You were still named the third star of the game tonight. You got the win and stopped all three shots in the shootout.
Yes, even though I did make that one bad mistake. Maybe I was named as one of the stars of the game because of the saves in the shootout? To be honest, I was pretty nervous before the shootout. There was a lot of responsibility on my shoulders. I had to stop every shot. It is tough for a goalie when a player is skating and there is no one but you to stop him from scoring.
Can we safely say that the disappointments of the last couple of weeks are behind you?
I don’t know. I can’t say that I caught my game. It’s just the beginning of the regular season did not turn out to be good for me. It’s not the time to keep my head down, but it’s time to keep working and improving. I got my head straight, got my thoughts in order. Something was obviously wrong with me. We talked a lot with Arturs Irbe and worked a lot together when I was not playing. And now I am feeling much better than I did.
Quite a few of your teammates love going to American football games. Are they getting you into it?
No. But to be honest, I really want to go to a few NBA games. It’s not that I am a fan of any team, I just want to see NBA basketball. I want to see teams like the Los Angeles Lakers. I have never seen NBA basketball. I just want to go to a game.
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