Ilya Sorokin was standing in the Islanders’ tunnel, leaning against the wall.
He had just been pulled from Thursday’s 3-2 loss in Game 3 against the Hurricanes and, instead of going to the bench, opted to go someplace a little more alone, a little more quiet.
He stood there and watched for a few minutes. Then, somebody brought him a chair.
And that was where Sorokin sat for the rest of the period.
The Islanders declined to make Sorokin available after a performance in which he let up all three goals on just 14 shots and got the hook from Patrick Roy after 27:14, so there is no knowing what he was thinking.
But after being the unquestioned hero for the Islanders all last year, this marked the nadir of a season in which Sorokin never quite looked right and lost his status as the starter a month ago.
“I’m gonna say this: We win and lose as a team. So, I’m not gonna go there,” Roy said afterward when asked about Sorokin. “But what I’m gonna say is, sometimes we make changes as a coach because we feel like we want to change the momentum of the game. I’ll leave it at that.”
Going to Semyon Varlamov did indeed change the momentum — Varlamov was perfect on the eight shots he faced, and the Islanders pulled closer at 3-2, getting within a few great Frederik Andersen saves of tying it.
But the scene was a far cry from what anyone envisioned before the game when Roy was likening Sorokin to a Ferrari — and to himself.
Now, there’s a conversation to be had about Sorokin whenever the Islanders’ season ends.
Can Sorokin recover his 2022-23 form? Does Roy trust him enough to make him the unquestioned starter next season? And if the answer to either of those questions is no, then can the Islanders do anything about it with an eight-year, $66 million extension kicking in July 1?
Goalies tend to run hot and cold, and the Islanders should not yet harbor big-picture worries about Sorokin’s long-term viability.
But this gives a different shade to training camp and certainly to the first time Sorokin struggles next season.
As for his confidence — which could be a shorter-term problem — Roy didn’t want to entertain that question.
“You’re not gonna like my answer but right now, I’m focusing more about the team than focusing on our goalie,” Roy said. “We have a goalie coach [Piero Greco] that does a very good job and I’d rather focus on getting ready for our next game and we play at 2 on Saturday. That’s where my focus has to be and wants to be.”
