How The New York Islanders Are Letting Their Goaltenders Down

The New York Islanders have a top-10 defense thus far this season, averaging 2.89 goals-against per game. And much of the credit for that statistic is the performance of star goaltender Ilya Samsonov and veteran backup Semyon Varlamov. 

Unfortunately for the two goalies, the Islanders' offense is letting them down. The Isles have lost four of their past five games – beating only the lowly Los Angeles Kings Thursday night in the second game of their California road trip – and in that time, they've allowed a whopping 38.8 shots against per game.

They've also operated at just 8.3 percent on the power play in that span and are 28th in the league with the man-advantage through 18 games.

Captain Bo Horvat and defensemen Matthew Schaefer lead the team, having each put up 18 points in 18 games. But other than that, the Islanders don't have any more point-per-game players, and they have only three other players in double-digits in points – Brayden Schenn (16 points), Simon Holmstrom (12 points), and Victor Eklund (10 points).

On the defensive side of things, the Islanders rank 21st in the NHL in expected goals for percentage (48.74 xGF%) and in shot share (48.93 CF%), according to Natural Stat Trick. They also rank 23rd in scoring chances for percentage (SCF%) at 48.05, meaning they are generating less quality offensive opportunities relative to what they are giving up.

If all that sounds sub-par, that's because it is. But you certainly can't blame the Islanders goalies for these numbers. On the season, Sorokin has a stellar .915 save percentage and a 2.53 goals against average, while Varlamov has a 2.72 GAA and a .892 SP.

Varlamov's traditional stats may not look ideal, but he still has a 1-2-2 record on the season with three of those losses coming against the very strong Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators.

Sorokin is also sixth among goaltenders in goals saved above expected, and Varlamov is fourth in that regard on a per-60 basis, according to MoneyPuck. As a team, the Islanders rank sixth in team save percentage at 5-on-5.

All in all, the Islanders' offense and defense is clearly not delivering the way Sorokin and Varlamov have delivered.

In fairness, the injury bug has given the Isles' offense some problems. Star forward Mathew Barzal hasn't played since April, and Matias Maccelli has played only nine games, where he posted seven points. Maccelli returned to action in Thursday’s win over the Kings, but he can hardly be expected to put the team on his shoulders on offense.

Islanders GM Mathieu Darche currently has just $1.6 million in salary cap space, a number that increases to $5.8 million at this year's trade deadline on March 1. But if Darche waits until then to use that money, the Isles could be far down the Metropolitan Division standings and nowhere near playoff contention.

So, the onus is on the Islanders' active players right now to provide more offensive support to Sorokin and Varlamov. Sorokin is a legitimate superstar, but he can't be expected to allow two goals or fewer night-in and night-out.

Unfortunately, this anemic offense isn't an anomaly for the Islanders. Last season, they ranked 25th in goals per game (2.79), and in 2024-25, they ranked 27th (2.71). The only teams worse than them in that category over since then are the San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames.

The Islanders' offensive woes are a systemic issue that isn't going to disappear simply because Maccelli is back and because Barzal is nearing a return. The Islanders' offense doesn’t scare any opponent, and until that changes, they’re going to be a second-tier team.

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