SAVE BY SOROKIN! Islanders Rookie Netminder Sets Up OT Win Over Flyers

Oliver Wahlstrom and Anthony Beauvillier may have found the back of the net for the New York Islanders on Monday night, but it was Ilya Sorokin who put them in the position to win.

Sorokin made 36 saves against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Isles 2-1 overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers. It was Beauvillier’s goal 3:41 into the extra period that completed the comeback for New York, which had trailed by only one goal after 40 minutes on Monday.

Philadelphia failed to clear the puck from their end and Beauvillier was able to sneak the puck by the leg of Brian Elliott on the wraparound attempt. Monday was Beauvillier’s second consecutive game with a goal after snapping an eight-game goal drought on Saturday night.

But the real story was the effort from Sorokin, who stole a win for the Islanders in his eighth consecutive victory in net. The rookie netminder made a number of key stops for New York through the first 40 minutes of the game, while only allowing one goal to sneak by him.

Thursday’s win made Sorokin the second rookie goaltender to post a winning streak of eight or more games this season. He also became the first Russian-born rookie to win eight straight games, according to Islanders statistician Eric Hornick.

It took until the 12:03 mark of the second period for either side to break the scoreless tie. Claude Giroux was able to come out from behind the net uncontested and centered the puck towards Oskar Lindblom. The puck went off the Philadelphia forward and through Sorokin’s legs for the game’s first goal.

While the Islanders struggled to put too many shots on net on Monday night, they were able to capitalize when it mattered most in the third period. A scramble in front of the Philadelphia net allowed Wahlstrom to clean up the loose puck and put it past a sprawled-out Elliott to tie the game at one 4:06 into the final frame.

The goal extended Wahlstrom’s point streak to four games (three goals, two assists) and moved him into a tie for second in the rookie scoring race.