Islanders Coming Back to Life At the Right Time

Ilya Sorokin (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

If you are a hockey fan who has followed the NHL closely this season, there is no doubt that you are paying close attention to the standings at this time of year.

One of the great things about the NHL is that there is a lot of parity, which has certainly been the case this season. It seems like every night, the standings are changing, teams are moving up and down, and some are further solidifying their place in a Stanley Cup playoff spot.

One team that is both keeping an eye on the standings and impacting them is the New York Islanders. For much of the season, the Islanders have been an up-and-down hockey club and, at one point, one that was on the outside looking in when it came to a playoff spot.

Do not look now, but the Islanders are rolling thanks to a 5-1-1- stretch in their last seven games. As of this writing (Wednesday, March 8), the team is holding down the first wild card spot and is just five points behind the New York Rangers for third in the Metropolitan Division with a 33-25-8 record for 74 points.

For starters, as has been the case for a good portion of the season, the team is getting great goaltending from All-Star Ilya Sorokin. Sorokin, 27, is currently 22-18-0-6 with a 2.33 goals-against average, a .926 save percentage, and five shutouts.

Sorokin has especially been good in his last five starts. Just take a look at the stats below:

  • February 22 against the Winnipeg Jets: Stopped 25 of 26 shots in a 2-1 victory.
  • February 24 against the Los Angeles Kings: Stopped 26 of 28 shots in a 3-2 loss.
  • February 28 against the Minnesota Wild: Stopped 30 of 31 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss.
  • March 4 against the Detroit Red Wings: Stopped 22 of 23 shots in a 4-1 victory.
  • March 7 against the Buffalo Sabres: Stopped 22 of 24 shots in a 3-2 victory.

Speaking of keeping the puck out of the net, the team as a whole is playing much better defensively, whether it is in front of Sorokin or backup Semyon Varlamov. The team has allowed just eight goals in their last seven games.

Thanks to their stretch of tight defensive play and excellent goaltending, the Islanders are currently eighth in the league in goals allowed this season. They have given up 174 goals in 66 games (2.64 goals against per game), and in their last seven games, the team’s goals-against is 2.15.

It is also good for this team to have beaten some good teams during this stretch. They beat the Jets twice, the Kings, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Wings, who were playing some of their best hockey, and the Sabres.

All the teams mentioned above are either in a playoff spot or within striking distance of one. This means that they were doing everything they can to win the game.

If the Islanders continue to play this kind of hockey and get into the playoffs, they will be a hard team to play against and one that could make some unexpected noise at the most important time of the year.

Stanley Cup Aspirations Cue’ the Duck Boats Pod

The boys are back after a long break but have plenty to talk about as the playoffs are in full swing. We go series by series, looking at how teams have fared so far and who will come out on top. Thanks for listening! Please rate and review our show on your favorite listening platform. Check out our partner's website at www.insidetherink.com for all your latest hockey news.
  1. Stanley Cup Aspirations
  2. The Final Countdown
  3. Here Come the Playoffs
  4. Home Stretch
  5. Kevy Cooks

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Patrick Hoffman

Patrick covers the NHL for Inside The Rink. He has previously covered the league for The Ultimate Hockey Fan Cave, WTP Sports, Sportsnet.ca, Kukla’s Korner, Spector’s Hockey, NHL Network Radio blog, TheHockeyNews.com, The Fourth Period, Stan Fischler’s “The Fischler Report”, as well as a slew of others.

Leave a Reply

Tanner Jeannot of the Los Angeles Kings

Player Profile: Tanner Jeannot

Tanner Jeannot was born on May 29, 1997, in Estevan, Saskatchewan. The left-shooting forward played for three seasons with the Estevan Bruins from 2010-13. In his first two seasons with the U15 club, Jeannot scored 29 goals and collected 18 assists in 42 games and five goals and three assists in ten postseason games. Jeannot […]

Read More
Gage Goncalves of the Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay Lightning Make Significant Player Signings To Start July

As free agency has started in the National Hockey League, many teams, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, are making significant roster moves with free agents and player extensions. Just yesterday, July 1, for day one of free agency, the Lightning extended young 24-year-old Portuguese forward Gage Goncalves to a two-year contract worth $1.2 million a […]

Read More
William Moore 2025 Draft Profile

Breaking Down Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney’s Draft

Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney has been in his position for ten years now and has seen success with one Stanley Cup Finals appearance and one historic regular season. This past season was the first time since 2016 that the Bruins failed to make the playoffs. Sweeney has added pieces to the prior core […]

Read More