Good Morning, Islanders Country.
Tonight, the most important New York Islander is back in the lineup — and no, it isn’t Bo Horvat.
That’s not a knock on Horvat, or on anyone else who’s helped drag this team through the last few weeks. But this season, like so many Islanders seasons before it, begins and ends in the crease. And the return of Ilya Sorokin is the kind of moment that quietly reshapes everything.
Give David Rittich his due. He’s been spectacular. He steadied the ship, held the line, and gave the Islanders exactly what they needed while Sorokin dealt with a nagging injury that dates back a couple of seasons. Big Save Dave earned every cheer and every point. But he isn’t Sorokin. He doesn’t have the resume. He hasn’t shouldered the kind of relentless workload Sorokin has carried since 2022–23, night after night, season after season.
And that matters.
Make no mistake about it: the Islanders will go as far as Sorokin takes them. No amount of Matthew Schaefer magic, Mathew Barzal helpers, or Horvat one-timers changes that fundamental truth. This team isn’t where it is without elite goaltending, and it won’t stay there unless that continues.
The numbers back it up. The Islanders give up far too many high-danger chances for comfort. Advanced stats have been waving that red flag all season. And yet, here they are — because they also own the second-best goals-saved-above-expected mark in the league.
