The New York Islanders picked up a massive win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. This win brought New York into the second Wild Card spot, leapfrogging the Detroit Red Wings in the process. It was also a huge boost for Ilya Sorokin, who did not perform well against the Montreal Canadiens in his previous contest.
Sorokin and the Islanders were destroyed by Montreal on Saturday. Cole Caufield scored a hat trick to help Montreal to a 7-3 win. On Sunday, though, he bounced back in a major way, shutting out the Blue Jackets. After this latest win, Sorokin spoke about how he was able to recover from the Canadiens loss.
“After yesterday’s game, it was important to continue to do what I do all season,” Sorokin said, via NHL.com. “There was nothing bigger I could do. I just tried to play simply, and the guys played behind me very well. It was a big game tonight, and we played very decently.”
The Islanders netminder stopped all 26 shots he faced from the Blue Jackets on Sunday. It was an important showdown between Metropolitan Division rivals in direct competition for a playoff spot. Columbus had surpassed New York for third place in the Metro before Sunday's contest.
New York is certainly no stranger to postseason contention this year. However, the games matter more than ever at this point in the season. The Islanders need to pile up points as much as they can. Having Sorokin play to the elite level he is capable of will be vital for their playoff push.
