The New York Islanders got an early contender for win of the year on Saturday, defeating the Ottawa Senators late in a matinee contest. New York came from behind three times in the victory, with Anders Lee scoring the game-winner with just over a minute to play in regulation.
However, not to be lost in the effort was a timely performance by Ilya Sorokin. While he wasn’t at his sharpest, allowing four goals on 33 Ottawa shots, he made several big saves late, including a penalty shot save on Shane Pinto, to give his team a chance to rally late.
His stop on Pinto continued his success on penalty shots in his career. Per MSG Network’s Eric Hornick, Sorokin is a perfect four-for-four on such opportunities. His stops came against Michael Bunting and the Toronto Maple Leafs in Jan. 2023, Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins April 2024, Jason Zucker and the Buffalo Sabres in Nov. 2024. Two of those three stops have led to Islanders wins.
While both sides can be heard of Sorokin’s struggles to open the campaign and the Islanders’ struggles structurally, the goaltender made the big saves when needed to give them a chance to pull off the comeback.
The Islanders return to action against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday at UBS Arena, puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
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