Ilya Sorokin has kept the NY Islanders in the playoff hunt

It’s safe to say that Ilya Sorokin has not been the same goaltender over the last two seasons as he was during his Vezina Trophy runner-up season from 2022-23. He’s received criticism from the fanbase, sometimes deserved and at others unnecessarily. But it’s difficult to deny that the 29-year-old has been a massive reason the NY Islanders are still in striking distance of playoff position.

Sorokin has been a workhorse for the Islanders, starting 49 of 66 games, including all but nine games since Semyon Varlamov went down with an injury on Nov. 29.

Sorokin is keeping the Isles alive

Scheduled to start tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Sorokin will set an Islanders record as the first goaltender to start 51 games four times in the franchise's history. On top of that, his victory against the Florida Panthers on Sunday night made him the first backstop to win 25 games in four straight seasons for the Isles.

Posting a 2.73 GAA and .907 SV%, Sorokin has been at his best over the last 20 games. During this span, he has 13.5 goals saved above expected, sixth best in the NHL according to Money Puck.

Friday night against Edmonton, the Islanders stole a point off the defending Western Conference Champions due to Sorokin’s injury efforts. The aisles netminder allowed one goal in regulation to Leon Draisaitl, the league's leading scorer, and again to him in overtime.

With only one back-to-back the remainder of the season, it’s unlikely that Sorokin gets much rest unless the Islanders find themselves far from playoff position. The Islanders’ playoff hopes will rest on his shoulders, and if the Isles can pull it off, he’ll be the reason they earn a playoff birth