NY Islanders G Ilya Sorokin is building a Vezina Trophy winning caliber season

Ilya Sorokin’s season didn’t begin with the kind of numbers that usually launch a Vezina Trophy conversation. Through his first seven starts, the Islanders’ No. 1 was 2-4-1 with an .868 save percentage and a 3.75 goals-against average — numbers that looked more alarming than elite. But since Oct. 31, Sorokin hasn’t just steadied the ship. He’s completely taken over the league.

From that point forward, Sorokin is 12-6-1 with a sparkling .932 save percentage and a 2.00 GAA, along with four shutouts. Only Jesper Wallstedt has matched that shutout total during the same span, and no goalie has been more consistently valuable to his team night after night. The transformation hasn’t been subtle — it’s been dominant.

What makes Sorokin’s case even stronger is how he’s doing it. He’s not padding stats behind a low-event defensive system. He’s facing volume, pressure, and sustained zone time — and winning anyway. Sorokin is now the first goaltender in Islanders history to win 11 straight games while facing at least 30 shots, breaking a record previously held by Mark Fitzpatrick. No Islanders goalie has ever opened a season with more than eight straight wins under that kind of workload. Sorokin has blown past that mark.

“He’s proven time and time again that he’s the best goalie in the league, by far,” Simon Holmstrom said after the Islanders were outshot 17-8 in the third period against Minnesota on Saturday night. Sorokin's play kept the game tied at three and set the stage for Holmstrom's heroics.

Advanced metrics only reinforce what the eye test shows. According to MoneyPuck, Sorokin has saved 19.0 goals above expected, reclaiming the NHL lead from Logan Thompson. Among true No. 1 goaltenders, Sorokin is saving an incredible .732 goals above expected per 60 minutes — far ahead of Thompson’s .578. That gap matters. It quantifies the difference between strong goaltending and season-altering goaltending.

This stretch has come at a crucial time for the Islanders, who have battled injuries, scoring droughts, and tight margins nightly. Sorokin has been the constant, erasing mistakes and allowing the team to collect points even when they’re not at their best.

Vezina races are often shaped by timing, narrative, and workload. Sorokin now has all three working in his favor. The slow start is a footnote. What he’s doing now — and how he’s doing it — is exactly what elite, award-winning goaltending looks like.