Sorokin ‘Forgot This Feeling,’ Islanders Happy to Finally Win Again

ELMONT, N.Y. — The New York Islanders won their first game since March 20 with a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Friday night inside UBS Arena. They’d lost their last six games (0-4-2), including four at home. To say they needed a win even just to stop the bleeding would be an understatement.

Even so, the Islanders started slow but ultimately dictated the terms on Friday evening. It may not change the outcome of the season, but the Islanders needed a victory in the worst way. Losing six straight is never easy on anybody, and you could tell the room liked to grab a big win.

It’s the first Islanders win over Minnesota since December 29, 2019, going 0-6-1 in the previous seven matchups with the Wild.

Tsyplakov and Roy Discuss Win:

In the room, the team made it clear they were happy with the win. Maxim Tsyplakov is back in the top six and played a very strong game alongside Simon Holmstrom and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. On his performance, Tsyplakov said:

“We play well together, just supporting each other every time. This is key for how we play and the offense. We need to support each other in everything.”

Asked about the swing of emotions from his turnover to then setting up Holmstrom’s goal just two minutes later, Tsyplakov told me: “It’s crazy. It’s a lucky goal, you know. Yes, it’s my mistake, and I need to do better, but we found a way to win.”

As for Patrick Roy, he effusively praised his entire team. He talked about how happy he was to see Matt Martin and Scott Mayfield play well in their returns to the lineup. Roy made sure to point out how much he liked seeing Tsyplakov play well, even despite the turnover.

Sorokin’s Jokes, Praises Zuccarello’s Sniping Skills:

Ilya Sorokin, who did more than his fair share in the win, summed up his initial feelings like this: “Good game, yeah. I don’t remember this feeling because we lost the last six games. We should continue step-by-step, it’s all we can do.”

Sorokin laughed at his little joke as he basked in his 27-save performance in the win.

Usually, when a goalie allows a goal from below the goal line, he’s more than a bit upset. Most get frustrated; some blame themselves. Then there’s Sorokin. Cool as cucumber, wholly unbothered. I asked him postgame if there was any frustration, but he shot that down right away.

“No frustration. It’s a good shot. I said that to Zuccarello in the game that it’s a really good shot. He said it’s a lucky shot, but I don’t think so.”

That says it all, doesn’t it? Instead of getting flustered, Sorokin locked in and stopped all rubber thrown his way for the last 38:18.

Martin Happy to Play, Reflects on His Past:

Postgame, Matt Martin fit right at home after playing in his first game since January 16. His teammates had praised his positivity through it all, and talked about how much he meant.

Right on his first shift, Martin threw a hit and the crowd got loud for him. If you closed your eyes, you can almost envision the days in the Coliseum when he did it nightly. Fresh off the ice, Martin spoke with me about it all.

“It is the best. Just something we used to start games and do pretty well, you know, me, Case (Casey Cizikas), and Clutter (Cal Clutterbuck) pretty well every night, you know, back in the (Nassau) Coliseum days. We always really put an emphasis on being physical early and just getting the crowd and energy in the building, and to the crowd’s credit, they’ve always brought that. So, you know, for the longest time, I think that’s helped us tilt the ice.”

Then, with the crowd, Martin couldn’t help but praise the crowd: “It’s just such a rambunctious crowd all the time and obviously they enjoy the physicality. So, yeah, you’re trying, [to set a tone].

Finally, a reflective Martin reflected on his role and the style he plays, saying: “There’s less and less of it every year. It feels like guys are so mobile now and running picks and all these things. But, yeah, it’s good to get out there and try to throw the body around a little bit.”