NY Islanders see Ilya Sorokin return to elite form through bond with new goalie coach

Patrick Roy didn’t hesitate Saturday night when asked what had sparked Ilya Sorokin’s turnaround. Yes, the shutouts matter. Yes, the numbers have surged back to All-Star territory. But for Roy, the most significant change isn't about anything technical — it's, to borrow a phrase from Long Island's Billy Joel, a matter of trust.

It’s the bond Sorokin has formed with new goaltending coach Sergei Naumovs, who took over earlier in the season after the coaching change. And in Roy’s view, that trust has become the hinge point of Sorokin’s resurgence. “There’s a lot of trust in the two of them,” Roy said. “Every time I look at them, it reminds me of the relationship I had with François [Allaire] when I was in Montreal. It means a lot for a goalie to have a connection with your goalie coach, and that’s exactly what’s going on right now for him.”

Since Naumovs stepped in, Sorokin’s game has sharpened week by week. His positioning looks cleaner, his reads quicker, his body language calmer. But Roy stressed that the improvement isn’t about reinventing the wheel — it’s about mastering the foundation again. “I think they’re just working on basics,” Roy explained. “Little things turn into bigger things. He looks very confident out there, and I think it’s a buildup of doing good things and having it transfer.”

That confidence has been obvious. Over the past two weeks, Sorokin has shut down some of the NHL’s elite offenses — Tampa Bay twice, and league-leading Colorado — all while posting his third shutout of the season and tying Glenn “Chico” Resch for the most shutouts in Islanders history.

This is the Sorokin the Islanders need. Calm. Technical. Unshakable. And Roy believes Naumovs deserves real credit for helping the star goaltender reconnect with the strengths that made him one of the league’s best.

For the Islanders, it’s simple: when Sorokin feels this good, everything else falls into place.