LAS VEGAS — Ilya Sorokin has been here before, and that's ultimately the biggest reason to believe he can still handle it.
Two years ago, Sorokin found the back of the net in nine consecutive games since the start of the season.
Last season, they played 10 consecutive games, including two consecutive games, from December 16th to January 5th.
The Islanders didn't hesitate to ask Sorokin to carry the load, especially when Semyon Varlamov was absent due to injury.
And after Varlamov was ejected during the first period against Colorado on Tuesday, it looks like they'll do the same for the third straight season.
“I do the same routine,” Sorokin told the Post after Friday's practice in Las Vegas. “So, of course, I wish Varley would come back sooner. But you have what you have. My routine remains the same, everything is the same.”
After Sorokin played in 62 games last season, the Islanders were looking to give him at least a less intense workload this time around.
It's unclear when Varlamov will return, but that doesn't seem very likely now as he has been on the road with the Islanders but has not skated with the team.
He leads the league in shot attempts with 908, according to Natural Stat Trick, and takes more dangerous shots than all but two netminders.
So while the Islanders don't have much control over Sorokin's workload on a time-by-hour basis right now (Ken Appleby, called up to the AHL, is unlikely to play in non-emergency situations), they can't manage Sorokin's workload on a time-by-hour basis (Ken Appleby, called up to the AHL, is unlikely to play in non-emergency situations), but he does have a lot of control over his shot count. Certainly from a perspective he could manage his workload better.
“We turned the puck over a lot in the neutral zone.” [before]” said coach Lane Lambert. “We certainly focused on addressing that. I think we could have done a better job in the defensive zone. [Thursday against the Coyotes]. We do it, we process it, we reduce the shots.
“Obviously, at the beginning of the year, we weren't great in our zone. I think our puck-out breakouts have gotten a little bit better. We spent less time in the zone and improved our structure. We continue to work on improving. We know we need to improve in that area.”
In terms of numbers, Sorokin is having a slightly worse season than he had in 2022-23, when he finished second to Linus Ullmark in the Vezina Trophy.
His save percentage is still down to a very good .912, but his goals against average is a career-high 3.10.
Looking at the latest stats, Sorokin is definitely still one of the better goalies in the league, but last year's higher-than-expected Evolution Hockey goals put Sorokin easily at the top of the league. However, his 11.34 goals scored so far this season ranks 12th.
Much of that is due to the Islanders suffering a combination of injuries on defense and the loss of some defensive structure, and the team still has full confidence in the quality of its goaltending.
“Obviously Elijah, he's probably one of the best in the world if you ask me,” Scott Mayfield told the Post. “Varley is right there as well. We're lucky to have both, and we're lucky to have both for a while. They're special players.”
By the way, Sorokin says he's fine with any amount of work.
“I feel good. I feel okay,” he said. “Every goalie in every game in the NHL takes a lot of shots. So it's the same for me. I feel good, I feel good.”
Few players are as dedicated and faithful to their routines as Sorokin. Before the Islanders play the Golden Knights on Saturday, he plans to eat breakfast, stretch on the ice and take a nap before heading to the game. Same as any other day.
That's how he's handled situations like this before. How will he handle this situation now?
“It's all a matter of routine,” he said. “It's cold baths, massages, therapy, good food, and good sleep. I don't know any other way.”
