Ilya Sorokin slumping when NY Islanders need difference maker down the stretch

New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin is criticized either too much or criticized too little.

He's often discussed as the reason why the team isn't in playoff position or the reason why they are still in playoff contention. As true with most things that have polarizing, unmovable positions at far ends of the spectrum, the answer is somewhere in the middle.

Sorokin has had what would be fair to categorize as an uneven season. He was mostly average and sometimes worse than that throughout the season's first three months. Then, he was outstanding in January as the Islanders won seven straight and launched themselves back into playoff contention, riding him game after game with injuries to both Semyon Varlamov and Marcus Hogberg. It was the closest thing fans have seen to elite goaltending from Sorokin since the 2022-23 season when he finished as runner-up for the Vezina Trophy.

If you can praise the good, you can also point out the bad, and over his last six games, Sorokin hasn't been great when the Islanders have needed him to be. Per beat reporter Russ Macias in NYIHockeyNow, since March 15, Sorokin is 3-2-1 with a GAA of 3.11 and a save % of .886.

After being pulled in the third period of Wednesday's 5-2 loss to Vancouver, the question of whether he would be pulled again on Saturday came up as the Tampa Bay Lightning scored three first-period goals to put the Islanders on their heels early. Ultimately, Patrick Roy stuck with Sorokin, who made 19 saves, with Hogberg scheduled to play on Sunday night in Carolina.

Sorokin has been a workhorse, appearing in 55 games (27-22-6, 2.79 GAA, .904 save percentage). While supporters want to point out fatigue and wearing down as reasons why he lacked consistency, he also appeared in 62 games during his career-best season, leading to his eight-year contract extension. At this time of the year, none of the teams battling for their playoff lives have the luxury of resting their best goaltenders regularly.

The Islanders can get more scoring from their top-six, start to score power-play goals and be better in their defensive zone. All true, but all won't matter unless Sorokin returns to the level he was in January over the last 10 games of the season. The Isles aren't good enough to overcome their franchise goaltender being the difference-maker he has to be at this time of the year.