Ilya Sorokin's underlying numbers before and after the NY Islanders injury crisis

Since the NY Islanders lost three of their top 6 defensemen in one night, the goal has been to keep their heads above water, and that’s exactly what they’ve done, going 2-1-2 in that time.

After his down season last year, Ilya Sorokin has been back to his incredible self and is one of the key contributors in the Islanders’ recent run. But even one of the game's best goaltenders can only withstand so much.

At even strength, Sorokin has been lights out. Posting a 1.57 GAA and .947 SV%, he’s been one of the league’s best.

Ilya Sorokin before and after the NY Islanders' injuries

But playing a man down has been a different story. The Islanders penalty kill has been putrid once again this season, killing off a man-advantage only 64.7% of the time, ranking 31st in the league. 

Sorokin’s numbers have reflected that struggle, seeing his SV% reduced to .806.

The Isles lost Alexander Romanov, Mike Reilly, and Adam Pelech on Nov. 1 in a 4-3 victory against the Buffalo Sabres. Dennis Cholowski, Grant Hutton, and Isaiah George have replaced the three stalwarts on the blue line. While George has been a pleasant surprise, the group has struggled as a unit. 

Before the date of the injury, the Islanders were surrendering 2.90 goals a game. After that night, that number ballooned to 3.50. 

Expectedly, Sorokin’s numbers have taken a hit as well. Before the game against Buffalo, Sorokin’s SV% was .931, allowing 1.48 goals against. Since then, he holds a pedestrian .902 SV% and 3.50 GAA, according to Natural Stat Trick.

And it’s not as if Sorokin’s play has taken a dip, as the change in personnel has allowed many more opportunities. Expected goals against (xGA) were 11.87 before and are at 14.54 since.

Sorokin is proving he can keep his team in games, but every goalie has a breaking point. With help in front of him, there’s no question he could be posting numbers similar to 2022-23 when he finished runner-up for the Vezina Trophy. 

But as mentioned earlier, the goal is to keep their head above water until reinforcements arrive, and Sorokin has been one of the key reasons the Islanders have been successful in doing so.