Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin sick, will miss game vs. Utah

The New York Islanders have announced that goaltender Ilya Sorokin will miss Saturday’s game against the Utah Hockey Club due to being sick.

Sorokin last played on Thursday in the Islanders’ 4-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, earning the win and the shutout. He played the entirety of the game, so obviously the sickness is a recent thing, at least at it’s current level that would require Sorokin to not dress for Saturday.

It’s not confirmed whether or not Sorokin will be available for Tuesday’s game against the Ottawa Senators, although with the game being a few days away, that should give him plenty of time to recover.

Sorokin has had another down season, with a 13-13-4 record, a .902 save percentage, 2 shutouts and a -2.45 goals saved above expected. It’s the second straight season that he’s performed a bit below expectations, as he had a 25-19-12 record and a .909 SV% in 2023-24.

With Sorokin out for Saturday and regular backup Semyon Varlamov out for more than a month with a lower-body injury, Marcus Hogberg is expected to get the start for the Islanders. Hogberg has a 0-1-0 record, a .948 SV%, and a 4.03 GSAx in 3 games with the Islanders, along with a 2-5-3 record and an .898 SV% in 17 games in the AHL with the New York’s minor league affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders.

Jakub Skarek has also been recalled from Bridgeport to backup Hogberg for Saturday’s game. Skarek has 4-10-1, an .891 SV% and 1 shutout in 17 games in the AHL.

The Islanders will look to build off of their back-to-back wins when they visit Utah on Saturday at 9 p.m. EST. New York currently sits in seventh in the Metropolitan Division with a 16-18-7 record, and are six points behind the Boston Bruins for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.