Ilya Sorokin looks like the goalie who was a Vezina finalist in 2022-23.
Ilya Sorokin looks like the goalie who was a Vezina finalist in 2022-23.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin expects to be on his game every time his skates hit the blue paint.
But after undergoing offseason back surgery and missing the entire preseason, expecting the 29-year-old to be Vezina-caliber out of the gate wasn't realistic.
Reality check.
Sorokin has showed signs of, maybe, being back to the level we saw during his Vezina-finalist 2022-23 season.
He's been brilliant.
"It's been impressive," Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson told The Hockey News. "I think for goalie, arguably, you could say training camp and those exhibition games are the most important for them to get their live reps, timing and things like that down. And for him to miss those and come in and play the way he's done, it's been impressive, but not surprising.
"He's a world-class athlete, world-class goalie, so we're happy to see him back and playing at the top of this game."
Through his first two starts of the season, Sorokin has made 61 saves on 65 shots for a .953 SV%.
He's 1-0-1 over that span, turning aside 32 of 34 in the Islanders' 6-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 14 before stopping 29 shots in their 1-0 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues on oct. 17.
“He’s lights out," Islanders forward Kyle MacLean told THN. "I mean, in St Louis, he was unbelievable. He was making crazy saves, and then, in his first game, he looked like he hadn't missed a beat. He's a great goaltender, one of the best in the league, and yeah, it was cool to see. It’s like he hadn't missed any time."
Sorokin has only two starts, so it's a small sample size, but he currently has 2.7 Goals Saved Above Expected, per MoneyPuck.com.
"I'm not surprised. We saw him before everybody else. And he looks sharp. He looked good and healthy," Islanders forward Brock Nelson told THN. "So we know he's one of the best, if not the best. We saw that firsthand. St Louis, you'd like to get him something offensively to reward him, but at the same time, knowing that we have a great chance to win each and every night, he goes on there.
"He competes, and he's always trying to get better and works on his game. He cares a lot about his performance each and every day."
Sorokin will make his home debut on Tuesday night against the Detroit Red Wings, his first chance to show off the healthy back in front of the Islanders' faithful.
"He's been outstanding," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said on Monday morning, after telling us he'd get the start against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. "He was really good in the game against Colorado, which was his first game. In the third period, he looked so calm and big that he made that save against Makar. Even at the end, we gave a little too much possession time in that game, and he made those cross-ice pad saves.
"The game after in St Louis, I thought he was really good again. He looks pretty confident out there, and he looks at ease in a way that his timing is pretty good."
Sorokin is in the first season of an eight-year extension worth $8.25 million.