Islanders Room: Sorokin Shines; Roy Asks: “What is Goalie Interference?”

ELMONT, N.Y. — The New York Islanders (32-28-8) found a way to scrape a win out against the Montreal Canadiens (33-27-8) on Thursday night in UBS Arena.

The game felt a bit like a rollercoaster, with ups and downs alike. It’s fitting that just this morning Kyle Palmieri said to me “Those highs and lows, they feel a little extra this time of year.”

Boy, did that ever ring true tonight. In the second period, the Islanders almost went down 2-1 until an offsides challenge took away what would’ve been a go-ahead Suzuki goal. After that, New York built a 3-1 lead in the third period. Then, they blew it, thanks to a truly unfathomable turnover that gifted Brendan Gallagher the equalizer with 5:44 to play.

Sorokin’s Peaking:

All game long, the Canadiens brought such speed, that it left the Islanders on their heels. Despite that, Ilya Sorokin played one of his best games of the season. In addition to his monstrous 38 saves, he recorded two assists. Sorokin continues to will this team into games, even if they don’t belong at times.

When Sorokin plays like this, the team can go far. Look no further than the 2023-24 New York Rangers, a strikingly average team analytically propped top by the best goaltending season in a long time.

Inside the room, the team effusively praised Sorokin. Bo Horvat, who scored twice, including the overtime winner, made sure to point out how good Sorokin played. Across the board, the team knows who the number one star was tonight.

Head Coach Patrick Roy said this of his superstar netminder: “When we weren’t as sharp, Ilya was outstanding. He was definitely the first star of the game. I guess you guys could decide if it was because of the number of saves or the number of points he got.”

He smirked at his joke, referring to Sorokin’s two assists. After that, Roy turned his attention toward goaltender interference.

What Is Goaltender Interference?

In the third period, Patrik Laine scored a one-timer on the power play to take the score to 3-2 Islanders. In the process, Juraj Slafkovsky impeded Sorokin’s ability to get over to cover the cage, leaving Laine an empty net to shoot at.

The Islanders challenged, assuming the impediment on the edge of the crease was enough. Instead, the goal stood and Roy put his hand on his head. Postgame, he questioned the rule itself, speaking for the masses:

“If I would have been in the net, I don’t think I would be very happy. I mean, Ilya was in the crease. There’s no way he could make a move to go on the on the on the side to side play. So I guess we have a different view of what [goalie interference] should be.

But maybe we should ask the question. What is goalie interference now? I mean, it’s getting tougher and tougher for everybody. I mean, I don’t think it’s very clear for anyone. If it was clear, we would not have challenged.”

Roy’s frustration is more than fair. In Los Angeles, the Islanders lost two goals on borderline goalie interference calls, and since then, he’s unsuccessfully challenged multiple plays for the same rule.

Sorokin shared the sentiment of frustration, calling it 50/50 and then stating he’d love to ask the referee what is goalie interference. Frustration is mounting over the rule, but the Islanders overcame that adversity.

Shoot the Puck, Simon!

Simon Holmstrom scored his 17th goal of the season with an unbelievable one-timer that gave Sam Montembeault no chance.

The goal showcased the shot Holmstrom possesses, one his teammates don’t think he uses enough. This morning, Horvat said, “He’s got one of the best shots in the team. I think he’s going to take it a little bit more. He’s too unselfish and wants to be a passer, but yeah, he’s a great player.”

Those words proved prophetic from Horvat. Postgame Horvat joked he’s taking credit for the goal, saying he forced Holmstrom to shoot it.

As for Holmstrom himself, he liked his shot, but much like Horvat said, he’s not selfish. Asked point blank about his goal, Holmstrom initially rebuffed the praise, saying “It feels good to get the power play going. We moved the puck very well and had a couple of big chances, and it was nice to put it in.”

Eventually, when asked again, Holmstrom admitted he knew where he was putting that puck as soon as the pass was coming. He made sure to credit Noah Dobson for the assist, though.

Excitement and a Good Win:

The game itself certainly wasn’t a masterpiece. The Canadiens outshot the Islanders 41-25 and generally had the better stretches. If you ask Roy, finding a way to win means everything: “What I really like is without playing our best game, we found a way to win. You know, that’s a very good team, there’s a lot of skills on the other side and a lot of talent, and they’re skating well. But at the end of the day, if you’re not playing your best and you find ways to win, that’s a good sign. That’s a sign of a good hockey team.”

Holmstrom echoed that sentiment, saying, “I thought [that was] probably not our best game, but good teams win games where you’re not playing your best, so it was a very good win for us. They’re a very good team. There’s a reason they’re in the spot they are. I felt we were sloppy and didn’t really win our battles like we wanted to.”

On the whole, the team had palpable excitement after the win. On his OT winner, Horvat said, “I just closed my eyes and shot it.”

The win leaves the Islanders two points adrift of the Canadiens while holding the regulation wins tiebreaker (25-24).