December breakout stars: One NY Islanders player is heating up

Overall, it’s been a trying season for a NY Islanders team that’s heading into Tuesday night tied for last in the Metropolitan Division with the Pittsburgh Penguins. With overall bland hockey, nobody on this team is overtly deserving of any special honor, and it’s something you can anticipate as the season progresses unless they find a few sparks. 

But they may already have one in the making, so things aren’t looking totally hopeless on Long Island. Someone who’s been better more often than not lately has been goaltender Ilya Sorokin, who, in the last four games, has save percentages of 1.000, 0.750, 0.960, and 0.935. 

Yeah, he had one rough game against a resurging Boston Bruins team, but that’s about as bad as it’s gotten for Sorokin, who allowed just one goal in six periods during the games flanking that unfortunate outing. He shut out the Buffalo Sabres and enjoyed a near-perfect performance vs. the St. Louis Blues in those contests. 

Ilya Sorokin could make life easier for an up-and-down NY Islanders team

Sorokin’s win-loss record isn’t the greatest, but then again, he’s been manning the net for a struggling hockey team. But one look at his numbers shows us that not only has he been playing at an elite level more often recently, he’s having a bounce-back campaign with a GAA of 2.52, a 0.915 save percentage, and a sensational 0.733 quality starts percentage. 

Yeah, amidst what looks like another year of uncertainty for the Isles, those are good numbers. While Sorokin won’t do much in the way of scoring, nor would any goaltender, if he can keep pucks out of the net the way he has recently, don’t be surprised if the Islanders end December on a higher note. 

What’s even more encouraging to remember is that, prior to Tuesday’s matchups, the Isles are only three points out of a top-four spot in the Metro. And that will put them right back into serious contention as the playoff race starts to mold; a picture that will get clearer once we enter 2025. 

So, while things look bleak right now on Long Island, let’s not get too concerned just yet if Ilya Sorokin continues to play good hockey between the pipes. Should such stellar play continue, he’ll find himself once again in serious contention for the Vezina Trophy come the second half of the season.