Ilya Sorokin Takes Responsibility for NY Islander Late Season Swoon

New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin opened up about the team's late season struggles.

Mar 21, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin (30) stretches during warm-up before the game against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Islanders were right in the thick of the playoff race during the 2025-26 season to the very end.

As late as April 6, they held one of the eight spots in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, they were unable to maintain their level of play through the end of the season and finished with 91 points, missing the postseason for a second straight year.

While the team exceeded expectations, it was certainly a disappointing finish. While it is a team effort to get to the playoffs, goalie Ilya Sorokin took some of the responsibility upon his own shoulders when speaking to Sport Express, a publication in Russia.

“A goalkeeper is always expected to clean up the team's mistakes, save in difficult moments. Probably, in the first part of the season, even a little more, I managed to do it. And then it stopped working. There were no gross mistakes, but it was these additional saves that were missing. One or two saves per game.

Ilya Sorokin put Islanders on his back early in season

Apr 12, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) during the first period against the Montréal Canadiens at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alexander Wohl-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As a result, it was these one or two saves that could give us additional points and lead us to the playoffs. Now you can say whatever you want, but the main thing is to figure out why this did not happen. That's what summer is for—to work.”

The Islanders were in that position, fighting for a playoff spot into April in large part because of how well Sorokin played early on. After losing his first three starts of the season, the veteran goalie was lights out for a 28-game stretch.

New York went 17-9-2 in that period with him in goal, and he performed at an incredibly high level. Six shutouts were recorded, as he allowed only 63 goals on 808 shots, producing a .922 save percentage with 745 total saves.

However, he was unable to sustain that great level of production through the end of the season, which he is hoping his offseason work will help change in the future.

Ilya Sorokin wore down after Olympics break

Mar 31, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) looks for the puck during the second period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“I think at some point I was a little short physically. At the end of the season, I began to play almost all the matches in a row, and, perhaps, there was no freshness,” Sorokin said.

When the NHL returned from the 2026 Winter Olympic Break, the Islanders had 24 games remaining in the regular season. Sorokin didn’t play in the first two games back and then started four games in a row.

He was not in net on March 14 against the Calgary Flames but started the next 14 games in a row, and his production waned. The team went 5-9-0, and he had an .882 save percentage, allowing 41 goals on 347 shots.

A lot of responsibility was on his shoulders, and Sorokin isn’t one to make excuses. But it seems evident the heavy workload eventually caught up to him. It is something he is hoping to avoid a repeat of this upcoming season.