Sorokin Comes Up Clutch For Islanders, Reasons For Success Against Chicago

ELMONT, NY -- Because of his struggles between the pipes, Ilya Sorokin went from being head coach Patrick Roy's go-to guy to backing up Semyon Varlamov for three straight games with the New York Islanders season on the line.

No one could blame Roy, who had to ride the hot hand and Varlamov was playing exceptional hockey.

But with the back-to-back situation and Varlamov turning aside 31 of 34 shots in a 4-3 overtime win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, it was Sorokin's turn to follow suit against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.

Sorokin rose to the occasion, stopping 18 of 19 Blackhawk shots en route to a colossal 2-1 victory at UBS Arena.

Although not a "busy night" quantity-wise, over 50 percent of the Blackhawks' shots were quality, with 10 of the 19 considered high-danger shots, per NaturalStatrick.com. 

Being clutch was something that Sorokin had been struggling with as of late, allowing back-breaking goals too often for his and Roy's liking.

"I'm working with goalie coach every day to try and change this," Sorokin told The Hockey News last week about his angles, which had burned him on more than one occasion. 

In the win, Sorokin made some important saves due to strong positioning. 

He stopped Blackhawks forward Andreas Athanasiou on a slot backhander in the first period and denied rookie phenom Connor Bedard with the right pad later on a rush chance, making both saves from atop his crease. 

"He was great tonight. He made the saves we needed him to make," Islanders forward Bo Horvat said. "Obviously, he wasn't getting the wins, and we hadn't been playing the best in front of him, so it wasn't entirely his fault, and he stood on his head tonight."

The Blackhawks had an Expected Goals For of 2.53.

Another reason Sorokin was successful was that he tracked the puck extremely well -- outside of one play behind the net in the first period when he got caught looking the other way.

Besides that, Sorokin fought through screens and did what he could to stay at the top of his crease, which we talked about in our conversation the other day.

"I thought he played a good game. I mean, he made some good saves for us in the first. We gave up a little more chances in the first," Roy said. "In the second, he made a great save on the breakaway, and in the third, he made a couple of good saves. The thing I was extremely proud of is I thought he had a good presence in front of the net, and that's what you want to see.

"I hope this game will bring a lot of confidence to him. It's his first win in a while, so it's nice for him to have a win."

It was his first win in quite some time, last winning on March 7 in a blowout 7-2 victory over the bottom-feeding San Jose Sharks. 

"Happy for a chance to play again," Sorokin said. "I try to do the same things and focus on what I can control like always. It was a back-to-back for our guys, and I feel good."

Sorokin did get help from his teammates, who blocked 12 shots in the game. What's very important is that the Islanders also awarded the Blackhawks just one power play, with Sorokin's numbers shorthanded anything but pretty. 

"They played really good. They were disciplined, with just one penalty, so pretty good," Sorokin said. 

During his personal six-game slide (0-6-0), Sorokin didn't rise to the occasion, owning a 3.58 GAA with an .881 SV%. 

When asked if this was the hardest stretch of his NHL career, Sorokin let out a little laugh. 

"Of course. In the NHL, you have challenge every day, so you should work hard. I go to the bench and see what I can work on better, more than what I had before."

As Roy did with Varlamov, riding the hot hand after his strong play in both Florida games, it's more than likely that Sorokin starts on Thursday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

A win and a Washington Capitals loss would put the Islanders in a playoff spot come Friday morning, and if the Islanders are going to find a way to sneak into the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Sorokin will have to play a major role. 

It's easy to look at the Blackhawks and not be sold on Sorokin's strong performance against one of the worst teams in hockey. 

But it was about much more than the opponent. It was about seeing a confident Sorokin attack the shooter, control his rebounds, and find pucks, and that he did.

Confidence is a dangerous thing, and if Sorokin can get back to the level we've seen in flashes this season and play more to the level we saw a year ago, the Islanders will be a threat if they get in.