Is This Sustainable?

Sorokin named NHL 1st star; Isles host Vegas

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

There is nothing quite like the warm, reassuring feeling of watching Ilya Sorokin look like Ilya Sorokin again. For a month now, he’s resembled the goaltender who once made Islanders fans believe that every night could be stolen, that every mistake could be erased, that every opponent would eventually shake their heads and mutter a four-letter word as they skated back to the bench.

It’s been glorious. It’s been season-saving. And yet…

There’s that little voice. You know the one. The Islanders fan voice that lives somewhere between the brainstem and the scar tissue. The voice that whispers: Is this sustainable? Can this last? And if it does… what does it say about the team in front of him?

Because the numbers are outrageous. Since October 30th, the Isles have killed 49 of 54 penalties — an absurd 90.7%, the best mark in the Eastern Conference in that window. They’ve killed 32 of their last 34. They look, on paper, like one of the best PK units in the sport. But does it feel real?

The analytics say the Islanders have the best goals-saved-above-expected in the NHL as of December 7th — a fancy way of confirming what your eyes have already told you. Sorokin isn’t just good again. He’s bailing them out.

And that’s the problem with great goaltending. It can hide everything else. It can make a decent team look good, and a good team look great, and a flawed team look stable enough to keep kicking the questions down the road.

Maybe things will normalize. Maybe the penalty kill really has found its stride. Or maybe the truth is simpler, harsher, and very Islander-ish: The only way this team resembles a playoff contender is if the goaltender keeps making the rest of the problems disappear.

Sorokin Named 1st Star

The National Hockey League named New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin the First Star of the Week on Monday after a dominant three-game run that helped steady the Islanders and tied a significant franchise milestone.

Sorokin went 3-0-0 during the week ending Dec. 7, stopping 97 of 101 shots for a .960 save percentage and a 1.33 goals-against average in wins over Tampa Bay (twice) and Colorado. His 32-save shutout against the Lightning on Dec. 6 was his third of the season and the 25th of his career, tying Glenn “Chico” Resch for the most shutouts in Islanders history.

This season, Sorokin is 10-8-2 in 20 starts with a .912 save percentage and 2.47 GAA, one of only two NHL goalies with at least three shutouts. Since Nov. 1, he owns a 7-4-1 record with a .934 save percentage, 1.84 GAA, and three shutouts.

Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger earned Second Star honors after going 3-0-0 with a 0.98 GAA and .961 save percentage, while Florida Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe was named Third Star with four goals and one assist in three games, including the winner against the Islanders on Dec. 7.

⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders are back home at UBS Arena tonight to take on the Vegas Golden Knights. Face-off is set for 7:00 PM EST.

📊 STANDINGS:

📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, Ryan Pulock recorded his 175th assist, tying Kenny Jonsson for 6th among Isles defensemen, and 26th overall; Pulock is two points behind Noah Dobson for 6th and four points behind Kenny Jonsson. Matthew Schaefer is only the 2nd 18-year-old NHL defenseman to record at least 21 points in his first 30 games, trailing only Phil Housley (25).

🎥 ISLES REWIND: On December 9, 2023, Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored 13 seconds into overtime and Ilya Sorokin stopped 34 shots as the New York Islanders ended the Los Angeles Kings‘ record 11-game season-opening road winning streak with a 3-2 victory at UBS Arena.

“I was thinking shooting like I did all year -- and it hasn’t been working -- so I said I’ll try something else. I gave it a shot it worked out,” Pageau said about his subtle shift to the backhand. ”In the third, we emptied the tank. I thought we were the better team at the end of the game.”

📺 Lou Lamoriello on His Journey Through Professional Sports | Agent Provocateur “On this episode of Agent Provocateur, Allan Walsh and Adam Wylde are joined by Hockey Hall of Famer Lou Lamoriello to talk about his journey through pro sports. Lamoriello talks about his time as an executive in the NHL and NBA, being a dual sport athlete, what it takes to win, an almost guest appearance on The Sopranos”

🔗 Patrick Ritchie’s Front-Row Seat to His Son’s Rookie Year in the NHL by Rachel Luscher, NewYorkIslanders.com “After every one of his hockey games, Cal Ritchie and his father Patrick hop on the phone to talk about it. They discuss every shift, every detail and every stat. “I love doing that,” Patrick Ritchie said. “I love the stats, I like understanding the bigger picture. He’s the same way, he’s a student and is always learning to get better.”

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And we leave you with this…Zero Pucks Given: Bails and Buck LIVE hits our app and YouTube tomorrow as the #Isle take on the Golden Knights. Tune in starting at 7PM for an unscripted watch-along, convos with guests, polls, live Q&A and much more!

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