Ilya Sorokin happened to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night. There's really no other way to put it.
Don't get me wrong—Edmonton played well in their 1-0 loss to the New York Islanders at Rogers Place. They generated chances. They pushed the pace. They did what they needed to do to win most nights. But Ilya Sorokin played better. He effectively ended Connor McDavid's longest point streak ever with a shutout that was equal parts frustrating and impressive to watch.
A historic run—19 goals and 27 assists in 20 games—over. Just like that.
And just when we were all in the midst of a "he's the best," "no, he's the best" conversation about Edmonton's goaltenders, Sorokin proved that, actually, he's the best. Don't get it twisted, Connor Ingram played great, and he's part of a bigger conversation. Just not this one. This one was all about Ilya Sorokin.
"Really, what can I say?" began Mathew Barzal. "There's not enough words to describe how good that guy is, day in and day out for us. His commitment to being a pro. It's his entire life on the road. You find him in the gym when we get into a new city or, early in the morning on an off day, he's stretching and working out, and that's just who he is. He's just ready to play at all times.
"And he really is the best in the world."
That's not hyperbole when you watch what Sorokin did. He was facing an Oilers team that's been rolling, with McDavid on a historic tear, and he shut them down completely. Zero goals. Zero chances for McDavid to extend his streak. Zero margin for error from the Islanders, who managed just one goal themselves.
Barzal was asked if he could tell when Sorokin's locked in, and his answer was telling.
"I think you can tell when he's on, but it's not many nights he's not," Barzal said.
Good goalies have great performances occasionally. Sorokin's great most nights. That's the reality the Oilers dealt with—a goalie who rarely has off nights, and this definitely wasn't one of them.
The Oilers threw everything at him. McDavid had looks. Draisaitl almost tied it. Hyman camped in front of the net doing what he does best. Nothing worked. Sorokin was reading plays before they developed, positioning himself perfectly, making saves look easier than they were. It was a masterclass in goaltending.
Ingram, to his credit, matched him for most of the game. He kept the Oilers in it, gave them a chance to steal a point or two despite getting stonewalled on the other end. Barzal acknowledged that afterward.
"Credit to their goalie, too. He played a heck of a game. We had some good looks. I thought our line put together some good chances. I thought we could have broken it open at some point, as could they; it was just a goalie battle tonight," Barzal said.
A goalie battle. That's exactly what it was. Two netminders playing at the top of their game, refusing to let anything through. The Islanders got one goal, the Oilers didn't.
McDavid's streak ending stings, but it's hard to be upset when it ends like this. He didn't go cold. He didn't have a bad performance. He just ran into a goalie who was unbeatable. That happens. Sometimes the other guy is just better, and this was Sorokin's night.
What's frustrating for the Oilers is that they did everything right. They played solid defensively. They created quality chances. They didn't give up much. In most games, they win 2-1 or 3-1. But Sorokin wasn't allowing that. He was stopping everything, and the Oilers couldn't solve him.
Getting goalied is part of hockey. You shake your head, acknowledge the other guy was better, and move on. The Oilers will be fine. McDavid will start another point streak. The team is still in first place. One loss to a hot goalie doesn't change any of that.
But it's a reminder that no matter how good your offence is, no matter how historic your best player's run has been, sometimes the goalie on the other end is just better. This time, Sorokin was better. He was the best goalie on the ice, and given the conversation happening around Edmonton's goaltending lately, that's saying something.
Barzal called him the best in the world. After what everyone witnessed, it's hard to argue.
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