Islanders Blank Devils 1-0 Behind Sorokin’s Shutout; Pelech Hurt

The New York Islanders (35-33-12) beat the New Jersey Devils (41-32-7) 1-0 inside the Prudential Center on Sunday afternoon. Ilya Sorokin recorded his fourth shutout of the season with 25 saves. The shutout marks the 22nd of Sorokin’s career, tying Billy Smith for the second-most shutouts in franchise history.

The Islanders played incredibly hard for a team eliminated from contention 24 hours ago. They blocked a whopping 22 shots, signifying just how badly they wanted to win today. Bo Horvat scored the lone goal of the contest after an abhorrent Timo Meier defensive zone turnover in the second period’s final minute.

The win clinched a better final record than the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers, ensuring the Islanders can finish no lower than 25th in the NHL, where the eighth-best lottery odds would be. For now, the Islanders sit 21st in the league, a position from which they could not earn the first overall pick and would likely select 12th in the NHL Entry Draft.

Positives From Today:

Ilya Sorokin’s health. Pregame, Head Coach Patrick Roy revealed Sorokin would start, catching everyone by surprise. Sorokin left Tuesday’s game in Nashville with an injury. The Islanders then recalled Tristan Lennox and started Marcus Hogberg in consecutive games, leading many to assume Sorokin was done for the year.

Instead, not only is he healthy, he played great. He made big-time saves on Meier and Nico Hischier en route to the shutout and win. Health is going to be a major focus during these last few days. Sorokin underwent back surgery last summer, so a clean bill of health this time around will be crucial.

Man, they wanted that win. I emphasized it earlier, but they blocked 22 shots and sacrificed the body at every turn. One example is Simon Holmstrom laying out and blocking a heavy slapshot that left him limping off the ice. He didn’t miss a shift.

The overall vibes. They deserved to beat Philadelphia yesterday but lost. All season, they’ve battled more than their fair share of adversity. This team needed a feel-good win and they got it. They’ll be motivated to send fans home happy on Tuesday against the Washington Capitals, who rested Alex Ovechkin in their most recent game.

Negatives:

Adam Pelech seemed to suffer another head injury in the second period. He at least popped his nose after a direct cheap shot to the head from Paul Cotter left him bloodied on the ice. Postgame, Roy and Anders Lee expressed their dismay at the hit.

Pelech is one of the best guys around and continues to have the absolute worst luck with injuries. He left the game and did not return, but hopefully, that proves to be more precautionary than anything else.

Back to the game, another huge negative remains the power play. All season long, it’s been the team’s downfall. it’s the 31st-ranked man advantage and it showed today. During the five minute major on Cotter, the team produced one shot. In the game, they went 0/3, and only one of those of those times did it look functional. It’s one of the most important things to fix this summer. Regaining Mathew Barzal will help out immensely.

Final Takeaways:

All things considered, this was a very strong effort from the Islanders. Yes, the Devils looked like a team that knows they’re facing the Carolina Hurricanes later this week, but they pushed hard at times. The Islanders just played strong defense.

There are only two more of these this year. As easy as it is for you fans to get frustrated, find a way to savor these last two. Once they’re over, you won’t get to see the Islanders again until mid-October. The final home game of the season is Tuesday night against the Washington Capitals. The puck will drop just after 7:30 p.m.