Rosner Discusses Sorokin's Performance Against Flyers EAST MEADOW, NY -- New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-ilya-sorokin-nhl-first-start-of-the-week-avalanche-flyers-lightning] goaltender Ilya Sorokin is on an absolute tear right now between the pipes. He is 6-0-0 over his last six appearances, with a 1.19 GAA with a .953 SV%. After going 3-0-0 with a 1.33 GAA and a .953 SV% this past week, he took home the NHL's 1st Star honors: Has Sorokin changed anything about his game? "I'm doing the same thing I always do," Sorokin told The Hockey News. " The team's played good behind me. I feel a big help from our defensemen. I'm just going game by game." One thing we've noticed about Sorokin's play is how aggressive he's been. This is very common for goaltenders who play with a lot of confidence. But Sorokin really doesn't feel or think he's doing anything different. "No, I think I just play the same game," Sorokin said. "Small detail changes, but overall, same game." This past summer, Sorokin underwent back surgery. After missing the entire training camp and the season's first two games, he played well upon his return before struggling to maintain his red-hot numbers. That was, of course, before his latest hot streak. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjEyNjAzODM3NDMxNjg2Nzg0/usatsi_25320818.jpg] "You'll never know when it's 100 percent. I'm just focused on one day at a time. I always only go one game and try to do the best I can do," Sorokin said. "I don't look in the future. I don't look at the past. I live in the present and focus on what I can control." Every NHL player does video work after games. But if Sorokin really has the "onto the next one" mindset, how much video work is he doing? "It's just systems work," Sorokin said. "After every game, we have video work with Piero [goalie coach]. It's just systems work." So, it's clear that Sorokin isn't watching the video to see the goals he allowed but rather to learn how to move, read, and react to the systems being played in front of him. If you look at the underlying statistics of Sorokin's season—something he said he doesn't look at at all—his 5-on-5 metrics have been good. But what skewed those numbers was Sorokin's play on the penalty kill. However, during his and the team's recent turnaround, the penalty kill has been tremendous. They went 21-for-23 in January and are 4-for-5 to start February. A significant reason for that is Sorokin, who owns a 2.98 GAA with a .923 SV% over the last 10 games (since Jan. 1) while the team is shorthanded: "Yeah, my team has done good work in front of the net," Sorokin said. "It's much easier for the goalie when you can see the puck." We asked Islanders forward and penalty killer Kyle Palmieri about helping Sorokin out more when the other team is on the power play. "Yeah, that's huge. It's something for him, knowing that he's in the position and has the opportunity to make that first save, and then those second opportunities are up to us to be able to either tie up sticks or clear out bodies and things like that," Palmieri said. "So I think for him. it's got to be a level of confidence where he knows he just has to square up and find that puck and track it and be able to make that first one." Whether the Islanders have players out of the lineup or not, Sorokin has the one constant. When he plays at his current level, the Islanders have every chance of crawling back into a playoff spot. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwpuDfCA?ceid=CA:en&oc=3] to never miss a story.
