ELMONT, NY — Ilya Sorokin continues to shine, and the New York Islanders continue to churn out results despite their ceaseless wave on injuries.
Just hours after putting Mathew Barzal on injured reserve and with a patchwork defense still holding it together with what feels like super glue and duct tape, the Islanders defeated the Vegas Golden Knights — one of the top teams in the Western Conference — 2-1 on Tuesday night from UBS Arena for their eighth win in nine games amidst a busy schedule.
“Five games in seven days, and we have so many injuries, and we keep playing,” head coach Patrick Roy said. “…We kept battling and found a way to get that next one, and we got it. So when you play that way, good things happen.”
Brock Nelson scored the game-winner with 9:17 left in regulation, deflecting an Alex Romanov shot over the shoulder of Knights goalie Ilya Samsonov and into the roof of the net. The veteran forward used the advantage of returning to the bench to replace a broken stick, then snuck back into the Vegas zone while the Islanders set up to get into position.
“Maybe [the Knights’ defense lost me] a little bit because I had left the zone,” Nelson said. “I was kind of surprised. It was a good job… to maintain possession.”
Sorokin stopped 34 of 35 shots as he continues his red-hot play, which was a necessity considering the Islanders could only muster 14 shots on the night. He was named the NHL’s No. 1 star of the week on Tuesday after going 3-0 with a 1.33 goals-against average and a .953 save percentage.
“I can just talk about the defense, they played really well in front of me,” Sorokin said. “They cleared traffic in front of me so I could see the puck and they played very well. They did a great job of blocking shots.”
Another positive Islanders (25-21-7, 57 points) result allows them to continue to claw their way ever-so-closer to a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. They remain three points out of a playoff spot behind the Boston Bruins with just the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings sitting between them.
Bo Horvat put the Islanders in front on just their third shot of the game with 1:39 to go in the first period with his 19th goal of the season. Adam Pelech sprung the star center on a breakaway with a pass down the left wing, allowing Horvat to get behind the defense, flash across Samsonov’s goal, and finish a backhander under his pad.
“I made my mind up on what I was going to do right away,” Horvat said of his chance. “It’s one of those ones where if it goes in, it looks good, and if it doesn’t, it looks pretty bad. So, thankfully, it went in.”
It was one of just four shots the Islanders managed to land on net int he first period, and they could only match it in the second period. Sorokin turned away all 14 shots Vegas threw his way in the frame.
“Ilya was outstanding,” Roy said. “Every time he had to, he made those big saves. I think it really brought a lot of confidence to our guys to be more aggressive and to keep them on the outside.”
Vegas’ Brandon Saad broke Sorokin’s hopes of a shutout to tie the game at one a piece with 7:40 gone in the third period, backhanding a sizable rebound left from a Nicolas Hague shot.
Nelson found the winner just 3:03 later, though, and the Islanders managed to withstand the Golden Knights’ final barrage to behind Sorokin’s brilliance to clinch the two points.
“We should be proud of ourselves,” Horvat said. “That’s a good hockey team over there. They play hard. They won a Stanley Cup. They know what it takes. For us to come and play the way we did and get that win was huge.”
