Ilya Sorokin is back, looking like the Vezina Trophy-caliber goaltender that the New York Islanders had leaned on in years past.
Just don’t tell him that.
“No, please,” Sorokin said with a chuckle after stopping 33 of 35 shots in the Islanders’ 3-2 overtime win in New Jersey against the Devils on Monday night. “I don’t care about this. All I can say is that this was a good game, I feel good, and the team helped me.”
It was the second straight gem of a start posted by the 30-year-old, who shut the New York Rangers out in Madison Square Garden on Saturday in a 5-0 victory. He has stopped 66 of his last 68 shots faced, including saves on nine of 10 power-play shots from a Devils team that possesses one of the best man-advantage units in hockey, along with a late barrage that ultimately saw the Islanders concede the tying goal with four seconds left in regulation.
“He’s been great,” forward Mathew Barzal, who scored the overtime winner on Monday night, said. “He’s been focused. He’s been rock solid… He was a wall tonight, and he was playing the puck tonight, which was great, too. He’s a competitor, and he’s our backbone.”
Sorokin’s play has been a much-needed development lately, following early-season struggles. In his first five games of the season, he allowed just a shade under four goals per game with an .873 save percentage. It prompted general manager Mathieu Darche to fire long-time goalie coach Piero Greco and promote Sergei Naumovs from the team’s AHL affiliate in Bridgeport — a no-brainer of a move considering he worked with Sorokin with CSKA Moscow of the KHL.
Since the switch (six games), he’s allowed 2.2 goals per game with a .921 save percentage. The Islanders have picked up at least one point in five of those games.
“You could tell he’s playing with a lot of confidence out there,” head coach Patrick Roy said. “He’s on top of the crease, looks big. That’s what you need on the road: solid goaltending. That’s what he gave us, especially on the penalty killing.”
“He’s one of the best goalies in the league for a reason,” forward Bo Horvat added. “When you got a guy like that behind you, you have confidence in front of him.”
For more on Ilya Sorokin and the Islanders, visit AMNY.com
