Timely Ilya Sorokin Strengthens Vezina Case In Islanders’ 1-0 Shutout Win Over Oilers
Patrick Roy went right back to Ilya Sorokin—and it paid off. A 35-save shutout pushed the Islanders past the Oilers, 1–0.
After exhausting the superlatives for No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer, it feels like we’re running out of new ones for Ilya Sorokin as well.
Happy Free Friday!
Prior to the morning skate, I wasn’t sure who was getting this start tonight. Not his fault at all, but he was coming off a game where he allowed five goals for the first time this season in a 5-4 losing effort at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets.
However, head coach Patrick Roy went right back to his Russian backstop, whose game has him in the Vezina conversation, if not leading it. And the move paid off as Sorokin was brilliant, turning aside all 35 shots that came his way, securing his league-leading fifth shutout of the season in a 1-0 win.
Anthony Duclair’s power-play snipe from the low slot off a Calum Ritchie goal-line-to-slot-backhand feed at 13:42 of the period on the power play:
Sorokin talked postgame about “luck” being on his side in a 1-0 shutout win — you would have to agree — after Leon Draisaitl hit the far-side post on a wide-open net in the dying seconds of the third with Connor Ingram on the bench for the 6-on-5 advantage. You've got to be lucky to be good.
“It's a big shutout against the best player in the league,” Sorokin said. “I think it was a very great game tonight, and defensively and discipline were good tonight, just to begin, and fighting in our net. We have a chance on the power play and score, and like luck was on our side tonight.”
That’s called retribution by the hockey gods for all the shutouts Sorokin’s lost over the years in the dying moments of third periods. Regardless, he was phenomenal, especially on the penalty kill as Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard wreaked havoc.
He is now 12-0-0 this season when facing 30+ shots, improving his overall stat line to 28-15-11, with a 2.47 GAA and a .915 SV%.
Sportslogic had Sorokin entering the game with nine steals on the season — I’m not sure exactly what formula Mike Kelly’s company does to figure that out — but you have to think he’s reached 10 on the season. He’s made 28 starts. That math equals a steal every 2.3 games. That’s outrageous. And that’s with losing his first three games and allowing three or more goals in his first seven games before beating the Washington Capitals 3-1 on Halloween.
“You can tell when he’s on,” Mathew Barzal said postgame. “But there aren’t many nights he’s not. “There aren’t enough words to describe how good that guy is,” Barzal said. “Day in day out for us, his commitment to being a pro, it’s his entire life. On the road, you find him in the gym when we get into a new city or early in the morning on an off day, he’s stretching and working out, and that’s just who he is, man. He is just ready to play at all times. And he really is the best in the world.”
What makes this an even better situation for the Islanders — no, it’s probably not sustainable — but with how David Rittich (11-5-3, 2.39 GAA, .910 SV%) has played, too, they may be walking away with the Jennings Trophy, that is, if they can keep it up.
Sorokin extended his club record with his 27th career shutout and became the first goalie in franchise history with three seasons of at least five shutouts (per Islanders statistician Eric Hornick).
Last night, Sorokin stopped 5.35 Goals Saved Above Expected. His 22.30 GSAE leads the NHL.
Sorokin very well could win the Vezina. He won’t win the Hart Trophy, awarded to the league MVP — the most valuable player to his team, but his name will certainly be in the conversation if the Islanders do make the postseason.
Back in 2022-23, I had the honor of voting on the NHL Awards. Sorokin had willed the Islanders to the postseason, owning a 2.34 GAA and a .924 SV% with a league-leading six shutouts. He finished second in the Vezina voting, an award that all the GMs vote on, not reporters/writers. I gave him a first-place vote for the Hart, one of three votes for him. He was that good, losing to Linus Ullmark, who was dominant but also was playing on a much more dominant hockey club. Most nights, it was Sorokin vs. the other team.
After that season, he struggled, and then he had back surgery in the summer of 2024, which forced him to miss some time. He showed flashes of brilliance, but still struggled with an elevated 2.71 GAA — it was actually better than his 3.01 GAA from the 2023-24 season. The advanced analytics told you that it was the penalty-kill GAA and SV% that were weakening his stats. He looked brilliant at times but really struggled to get on a roll.
It was fair to question whether Sorokin could return to a Vezina-level. But question time is over. Pack your things.
He’s back, no pun intended.
