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Good Morning, Islanders Country.
Alright if we talk more about Ilya Sorokin? Ok, good. The Islanders lost on Monday, and I didn’t go to bed angry or even frustrated. Why? Because when Sorokin is dialed in the way he was versus the Avalanche, the Isles have arguably the best goaltender in the league. And after experiencing a rare speed bump in recent weeks, that game reinforced that belief.
There’s a level of consistency we’d still like to see from the 27-year-old, but what he has shown consistently is the ability to be dominant when at the top of his game. That’s what elite goaltenders do. The opponents know it’s not their night, and they have a better chance of getting lucky than beating the goaltender clean.
Per ESPN Stats, Sorokin now has 13 career shutouts in 94 career starts meaning a whopping 13.8% of his career starts have ended in a shutout. That is the highest rate of anyone to debut in the NHL's modern era (1943-44) - min. 90 starts.
No one has more shutouts than Sorokin’s 10 over the last two NHL seasons (Jacob Markstrom has 9), and he’s already fifth on the franchise’s all-time shutout list with 13, one behind Tommy Salo for fourth and three behind Rick DiPietro for third. On most nights, Sorokin is on par with the best goaltenders in the NHL, but on his best nights, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one better.
Coming up, Brock Nelson has gone from underwhelming to underrated and Oliver Wahlstrom is finding his spot. Plus, Shannon and AJ share a hockey stick and a laugh; the Isles win when they allow a lot of shots, and the Alumni Classic returns to Northwell Health Center.
📰 NEWS: The Islanders were off on Tuesday as they traveled back to New York to prepare for Thursday’s game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Of interest will be injury updates to Kyle Palmieri and Cal Clutterbuck and if Adam Pelech is any closer to skating with the team. We also hope to learn any more details on Semyon Varlamov after he left Saturday’s game in the third period, forcing Corey Schneider to be emergency recalled from Bridgeport.
◾️ Fans noticed late Tuesday night that Hudson Fasching, Simon Holmstrom, and Cory Schneider were not on the Islanders roster. But as Stefen Rosner of NYI Hockey Now pointed out, the team is practicing tomorrow, and it was likely done as a paper move to accrue more cap space.
Over at The Athletic, Kevin Kurz asks if Brock Nelson is the most underrated player in the NHL? Nelson is on a point-per-game pace with 15 goals and 18 assists in 33 points after leading the team in goals with 37 last year in 72 games.
“I think he’s been an underrated player in this league for quite a few years,” Ryan Pulock said. “Obviously seeing him every day, you see him practice, you see it in games how skilled he is, how smart he is.”
You have to be pretty damn good to be considered underrated. The media doesn’t write stories like this about average players. Nelson has never been an All-Star (although that may change this year), but has been on a steady upward trajectory since Barry Trotz became head coach in 2018-19.
For years, fans and seemingly management were in search for John Tavares’ No. 2 center. There was uncertainty if Nelson, who signed a 1-year $4.25M “prove it” deal with Lou Lamoriello in 2018, could become anything more than a No. 3. Not only did he respond with a career-high 53 points (25 goals, 28 assists), but more importantly, he put a lid on the narrative that he wouldn’t show up for stretches of games.. He was present, he was physical, and he was always involved.
Now it’s hard to think where the Isles would be without the emergence of Nelson, who has gone from a talented player with underwhelming results to a player that shouldn’t be considered underrated for much longer.
◾️ In Newsday, Andrew Gross writes about Oliver Wahlstrom’s positional switch on the second power-play unit as a move to get both the player and the team’s special teams group going. Gross points out that the Islanders are 0-for-14 on the man advantage over the last five games and rank 21st in the NHL at 20-for-98 (20.4%). The second unit Wahlstrom is part of hasn’t scored in six games.
MY FAVORITE: “Obviously that’s my favorite spot,” Wahlstrom said. “I’m feeling pretty dangerous over there. When pucks come over there I can take a quick peek and look where the goalie is and get my shot off. The middle is good, too, sometimes when there’s a quick pass down low or in the slot.
Wahlstrom has seven goals on the season but just one in his last 11 games. Only one has come on the power play all season, but his teammates know the potential that has yet to be unlocked - if they can set him up. “He’s got a special shot,” said Josh Bailey. “We want to get it to him when we get those opportunities. It doesn’t take many opportunities for him to find a way to get to the back of the net.”
⏭ NEXT UP: After a day off on Wednesday, the Islanders conclude their five-game road trip with a match-up against the New York Rangers at MSG.
📊 STANDINGS: The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the New York Rangers 3-2 last night to jump them in the standings and snap the Blueshirts’ seven-game winning streak.
🗄 DAY AT THE OFFICE: Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Mission accomplished for MSGNetworks Shannon Hogan & AJ Mleczko, who may never be allowed to use a prop again after AJ touched the screen with a hockey stick, sending Shannon into a laughing fit. Hijinx ensued.
📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, the Isles allowed 92 shot attempts, most in a game against them since the Calgary Flames had 94 on March 11, 2018. Since 2005, the Isles have allowed at least 92 attempts twelve times, and they are 8-1-3 in those twelve games. So, allow lots of shots, maybe?
🗓 THIS DATE IN ISLANDERS HISTORY: On Dec. 21, 2005, despite going just 1 for 10 on the power play, the Islanders defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-2 at the Nassau Coliseum. Trent Hunter scored two goals, and Mike York added a goal and two assists to lead the Isles to victory.
The game also featured the return of Jason Blake, who suffered a concussion against the Minnesota Wild earlier in the month. Not only did Blake score less than three minutes into the game, but he assisted on Hunter’s second goal. Blake's play impressed Islanders coach Steve Stirling: "I think he was excited to be back. No, I'm not surprised he did what he did."
🎧 Ep134: What are the New York Islanders? Sliding down the standings, trade targets, and injuries: “James and Jon broke down the last few weeks in New York Islanders hockey. As they continue their slide down the standings, they asked a difficult question - what are the Islanders 33 games into the 2022-23 NHL Season?”
🎧 Eyes on Isles Podcast: Unsolved Mysteries w/ Joe Buono and Andy Francess. “In the latest edition of the Eyes on Isles Podcast, Joe Buono (@IslesFix) and Andy Francess (@AndyFrancess) try to unravel the curious case of the New York Islanders after the team went 1-1-2 over the last four games. Andy and Joe also break down the Eastern Conference Playoff picture, Cale Makar's sportsmanship, and disclose a secret about the infamous 2003 Santa Brawl at the Nassau Coliseum.”
🔗 Islanders’ Brock Nelson making his case for most underrated player in the NHL by Kevin Kurz, The Athletic “That skating, in particular, is something that Nelson has tried to improve every summer. He has spent time in recent off-seasons with skating guru Diane Ness, who works with a number of NHL players and was at Islanders rookie camp this season drilling the youngsters, too.”
🔗 Sorokin Shakes Off Struggles as Varlamov’s Health Remains in Question by Stefen Rosner, NYI Hockey Now “Despite the struggles of New York Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin heading into the game against the Colorado Avalanche, losing five straight, there was no doubt that he would eventually get back to the Sorokin we saw at the beginning of the season.”
And we leave you with this…The Alumni Classic is back for the 50th Anniversary season on Jan. 22, 2023, at Northwell Health Ice Center. Pierre Turgeon, Benoit Hogue, Darius Kasparaitis, Bryan McCabe, Radek Martinek, Kip Brennan, and other Isles alumni will be taking the ice.
Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter for regular updates until the next newsletter.
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.....would be NICE if we KNEW they HAD reached out to ZIGGY; there's NO question he BELONGS here for BOTH events : (
As to Ilya, LIKE DiPi he's a CLASSIC goaltending anomaly - maybe THE most so in NHL history, yet someone STILL exhorted in a 'FOTI' Comments thread today that Varly should've been traded, and I'm JUST like.....wouldn't THAT have made for an even MORE excruciating season.....DIDN'T want to personally JINX Brock (or someone ELSE) by EVOKING what IS a LIKELIHOOD, but.....LOL