Ilya Sorokin provided the turning point of Saturday evening for his New York Islanders, which has not been out of the ordinary during his six years with the team.
Trailing 4-3 less than three minutes into the third period, he turned away a penalty shot from the NHL's leading scorer, Shane Pinto of the Ottawa Senators — a wrister that was blockered away.
With newfound momentum, the Islanders clawed back and scored twice in the third, with Anders Lee stuffing home the winner with 1:13 remaining in regulation to give New York its second straight win.
But the questions surrounding Sorokin's slow start very much remain. The 30-year-old former Vezina Trophy finalist has allowed four goals in each of his four games this season, though head coach Patrick Roy was quick to jump to his defense fol