NY Islanders season superlatives heading into the Olympic break

Three weeks without NY Islanders hockey. We’ve been tuned in almost every night over the last two weeks with the condensed schedule due to the Olympic break, and now have to wait until Feb. 26 for the team to take the ice again as they push for a playoff spot.

On X today, Rob Taub and IslesDen began a thread handing out some Islanders superlatives to this point in the season, so we figured, why not join in on the fun?

MVP

While Bo Horvat and Mat Barzal have been instrumental to the Islanders' success this season, this could easily be a lottery team if not for Ilya Sorokin's sensational play.

Sorokin started the season slowly, but after the firing of Piero Greco and the promotion of Serge Naumov as goalie coach, the Russian netminder has elevated his game and put his name at the forefront of the Vezina Trophy conversation.

Sorokin sits eighth in the league with a 2.44 GAA, T-3 in SV% at .916, first in high-danger SV% at .882, first in shutouts with six, and first in goals saved above expected at 27.8.

This team goes as Sorokin goes, and while he likely won’t be considered for the Hart Trophy, it’s difficult to find a player more instrumental to their team's success.

Most disappointing 

It hasn’t been the start Jonathan Drouin hoped for on Long Island. Scoring the first goal of the season for the Isles on opening night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Drouin has added just two more goals, his last coming on Nov. 14 against the Utah Mammoth. And that goal didn’t even come off his stick; it came off a shot that deflected off his leg. 

Drouin has never been a high-end scorer, but going 34 games without a tally isn’t something you’d expect from a top-6 winger.

Despite his struggles, Drouin remains in the lineup every night for the Islanders, and with the teams goal scoring struggles, they could use a player like him to find his groove again. Perhaps the Olympic break will do him well.