Hall of Famer Patrick Roy coaches Ilya Sorokin, refining shootout tactics after recent struggles. A legendary mentor guides his star goaltender.
Having a Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender as a head coach comes with its perks.
Following Ilya Sorokin's second shootout loss of the season, New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy spent time helping the netminder with his shootout strategy:
Sorokin, who is coming off two of his strongest games of the 2025-26 season thus far, has struggled in the shootout, conceding three goals on five shots.
"He asked me about how I played in shootouts," Roy said following Friday's morning skate. "Unfortunately, I didn't have many shootouts in my career. But I told him, I said, I remember when we were in Nagano (1998 Winter Olympics). I was extremely nervous because obviously we were going for the medal, but I got scored on the first one. And I said that's probably one of the most nerve-racking moments of my career. I just explained to him what I was trying to do -- force guys to deke me instead of shooting. I really appreciate that he came to me. I feel like it's a great step."
Sorokin will batthe New York Rangers on Saturday night, with Rittich in goal for the first leg of the back-to-back against the Minnesota Wild on Friday.
Stefen Rosner contributed to this story.