A big reason why the New York Islanders have contended this season has been the play in net by goaltender Ilya Sorokin. And as New York was in desperate need of a win any way they could get it on Sunday, Sorokin stood on his head and blanked the Columbus Blue Jackets.
With the Islanders entering the day coming off back-to-back losses, including a rough 7-3 defeat to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, the pressure was on Sorokin to step up. He did that and then some, stopping all 26 shots sent his way against a Blue Jackets team that had won four in a row.
Ilya Sorokin made history with his latest shutout
Sorokin’s latest shutout did more than allow New York to keep pace in the Eastern Conference’s highly contested playoff picture; it made franchise history.
His seventh shutout of the 2025-26 season made Sorokin the only goalie in Islanders history to ever register seven shutouts in two separate seasons.