Patrick Roy knows a thing or two about the goaltender position, especially when it comes to playing a lot.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- New York Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin is likely to start on Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
If he does get the nod, that will be his 10th straight start, which would set a new career record as he's been the go-to guy since Semyon Varlamov went down with a lower-body injury.
Watching these last few games, Sorokin hasn't looked at his best, but, as we mentioned on The Elmonters podcast, it's not physical fatigue but likely mental, given the defense in front of him.
Following Thursday's practice, Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender and current head coach of the New York Islanders was asked what he's seen from Sorokin as of late.
"It's tough playing every night, and I feel like he's been handling it really well," Roy said. "He's been playing some good hockey for us. I mean, the win in Ottawa was a good example. He was phenomenal in that game. He's been a really good player for us. So, I just hope that he's going to continue to do that.
"We have other worries than our goalie, I will say this."
Nine games in a row is a lot for a goalie in this day and age, but Roy made a great point about fatigue.
"I'm sure there were [long stretches], but I never really checked the number of games. I played one at a time," Roy said. "And I don't think you want to let your mind tell you, 'Oh, I'm tired today'. Just play. Don't focus on, 'Oh, I'm tired today.' No, that's not what you want. You want to play the game. You play the game, and you worry about the next game."
Back-to-backs were exhibit A for Roy when it came to finding a different but stronger mindset.
"When I was playing those back-to-back games, I always played the first one, the worst one, because I was worried about the second one. And it's a wrong mindset," Roy said. "I was pissed off at myself after because I said, 'Why did you worry about the second game?' You felt so good in the second game, and then on and on, I started to worry more about playing the game, and you'll see where you are tomorrow. It's easier that way. But yeah, I had stretches, and I felt like, when I got in a rhythm, I felt like I had no more fatigue.
"Most of the time, it's the mental [side] that tells your body that you're tired. Your body can take a lot on a game day."
The Hockey News asked Roy if this mindset is something that he's spoken with Sorokin about or if it is something his starting goalie already knows.
"I don't want to interfere with him. I just want to cheer him and make him feel that I trust him," Roy said. "I like the way he's playing, and he's our guy. When you're playing, you're the number one, and when you're on the bench, you're our number two. I got that. That's how it was in my days, and it's the same thing today. But I want Ilya to feel comfortable around me in the way that I want him to feel that I trust him.
"I know how good he is and what he could bring to this team. So that's what I really care about. The coaching perspective belongs to Piero [Greco]. He does a good job. He works with him, and I trust him. If Ilya wants to talk to me about how I felt in my career... it was not just a Cinderella story. I had some ups and some downs as well. It's part of a career. Right now, he's playing really well for us. I just want to help."