Islanders' Sorokin Playing Like a World-Beater This Season

When the New York Islanders are at their best, it is their goaltender Ilya Sorokin who is leading the way.

As a team, the Islanders are having a great season. They are currently (As of Wednesday, March 11) third in the Metropolitan Division, seventh in the Eastern Conference, and tenth in the NHL with a record of 37-23-5 for 79 points.

The reason why the Islanders are where they are is because of the fabulous play of their goaltender. Sorokin, 30, should be in the running for both the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender and the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player this season.

As of this writing, Sorokin is 24-14-0-2 with a 2.51 goals-against average, a .913 save percentage, and a league-leading six shutouts. He also currently leads the league in goals saved above expected, according to MoneyPuck.com.

In terms of looking at important categories when it comes to goaltending statistics, Sorokin ranks high in a lot of important categories:

- First in shutouts (Six)
- First in goals saved above expected
- Tied for seventh in wins (24)
- 11th in save percentage (.913)
- 10th in saves (1,056)

There are several reasons why Sorokin is having such a good season. For starters, he is playing with a lot of confidence.

Last season, it was easy to see that Sorokin would struggle after giving up a goal. His body language would change, he would allow a soft goal here and there, and he would look visibly shaken.

That has not been the case this season. He has learned to bounce back, focus on the next save, and has done everything he can to keep his team in games that they have no business in.

Another reason why Sorokin is playing well this season is because of the way he has been positioning himself between the pipes. When Sorokin struggled last season and the early part of this year, he had poor rebound control, got caught out of position, and gave shooters too much net to look at.

It has been much different this season for Sorokin. He has done a better job of controlling rebounds, playing the angles, not getting caught out of position, and putting himself in a good position to stop second and third opportunities.

Lastly, the team in front of him has been much different this season. The team now gets timely goal scoring, plays smarter in their own zone, and bails him out when he is having an off night.

Now, playing great in the regular season is one thing. Should the team make the Stanley Cup playoffs, Sorokin is going to need to step up his game even more as playing in the playoffs has not been his strong suit.

With that said, there is no doubt that Sorokin has been everything and more for the Islanders so far this season. It is up to him to continue his fine play to both close out the regular season and hopefully excel when it matters most.