Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin Is A Vezina Finalist — But His Season Tells A Bigger Story
Ilya Sorokin’s Vezina-finalist season showcased elite resilience, dominant numbers, and a return to form—but also highlighted the New York Islanders’ reliance on their star goaltender.
For the second time in his NHL career, New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin is a Vezina finalist.
The 31-year-old was leaned on heavily — nothing out of the ordinary — and had a phenomenal season behind a consistently shaky defense.
He finished the season with a 29-24-2 record, with a 2.68 GAA, a .906 SV%, and a league-leading seven shutouts.
Among goalies with 50+ appearances:
6th in save percentage
7th in goals-against average
Among all NHL goalies:
1st in road wins (18)
8th in saves (1,386)
9th in shots against (1,530)
Tied for 9th in wins (29) and games played (55)
10th in minutes played (3,226)
Led all NHL goalies in:
High-danger saves (452)
High-danger save percentage (.864)
Went 15-5-0 when facing more than 30 shots
Opened the season with a franchise-record 13-0-0 streak in games facing 30+ shots
His 15 wins in those games led the NHL
Made 44 saves in a shutout on Jan. 6 — most by any NHL goalie in a shutout this season
That game marked his 26th career shutout, breaking the Islanders’ all-time franchise shutout record that had stood for nearly 50 years
His 7 shutouts also tied for the most by an Islander in a single season
While these accomplishments are tremendous, Tampa Bay Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy is likely the winner, given that he won 39 games and also made the postseason, unlike Sorokin.
The Islanders’ veteran goaltender didn’t have much faith that he’d win the award when we spoke with him on locker room cleanout week: