For the fifth time in their careers, New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin battles New York Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin.
NEW YORK, NY -- When the puck drops at Madison Square Garden a tad after 1 PM on St. Patrick's Day, the New York Islanders and New York Rangers will go to war for the second time this season.
The first matchup of 2023-24 didn't go the Islanders' way, blowing a 4-1 lead in the third period before falling 6-5 in overtime at MetLife Stadium.
Now, almost exactly a month later, the Islanders are trying to snap a three-game skid while the Rangers have won three of their last four games.
This game, like most games between these cross-town rivals, will come down to the goaltending.
For the fifth time in their careers, best friends Ilya Sorokin and Igor Shesterkin will face off. They are deadlocked at an even 2-2-1 record.
Let's dive into the numbers, which, for two elite netminders, aren't super pretty.
In five starts against Shesterkin, Sorokin owns a 3.25 GAA with a .898 SV%, with a GSAA of -1.0, making 114 saves on 127 shots.
He's 1-2-0 in three games with a 3.36 GAA and a .895 SV% versus the Rangers on the road in his career, last facing them at MSG on Dec. 22, 2022, stopping 29 of 33 in a 5-3 loss.
On the contrary, Shesterkin has a 3.31 GAA, an .891 SV%, and a GSAA of -1.8 against Sorokin, making 106 saves on 119 shots.
In seven starts against the Islanders at Madison Square Garden, Shesterkin owns a 1-6-0 record with 179 shots with a 3.00 GAA and an .882 SV%, stopping 15 of 18 in a 5-3 win.
Seven Rangers have scored a goal against Sorokin:
Artemi Panarin (four goals on 17 shots), Vincent Trocheck (3 goals on 15 shots), Chris Kreider (2 goals on 21 shots), Kaapo Kakko (2 goals on five shots), Mika Zibanejad (1 goal on 20 shots), Erik Gustafsson (1 goal on 10 shots) and Barclay Goodrow (1 goal on six shots).
On the flip side, 12 Islanders have scored against Shesterkin:
Anders Lee (6 goals on 24 shots), Kyle Palmieri (5 goals on 31 shots), Mathew Barzal (4 goals on 25 shots), Brock Nelson (4 goals on 19 shots), Casey Cizikas (2 goals on 11 shots), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (2 goals on 17 shots), Alexander Romanov (2 goals on 10 shots), Matt Martin (2 goals on 12 shots), Bo Horvat (1 goal on 4 shots), Adam Pelech (1 goal on 12 shots), Ryan Pulock (1 goal on 12 shots), and Oliver Wahlstrom (1 goal on 17 shots).
Both goalies are in the midst of career-worst seasons.
Sorokin, who is trying to get the Islanders into the playoffs, is 15-11-2 with a 2.99 GAA and a .910 SV% with two shutouts and a .617 Quality Start percentage.
The 28-year-old netminder has lost his last two starts, allowing five goals on 60 shots (.916 SV%) in back-to-back shutout losses to the Los Angeles Kings (3-0) and Buffalo Sabres (4-0).
Shesterkin, whose Rangers sit atop the Metropolitan Division, is 28-14-2, with a 2.60 GAA and a .912 SV% with three shutouts and a .614 Quality Start percentage.
After winning two straight starts via shutouts, stopping all 55 shots to come his way, Shesterkin got tagged for five goals on 27 shots in their 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.