Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin becomes eighth NHL goalie to win game with just one save
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A single-save effort saw New York Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin secure his 16th win of the season Saturday.
Originally serving as backup with Marcus Hogberg tapped for the start Saturday against the Metropolitan Division rival Carolina Hurricanes, Sorokin entered the crease to start overtime after Hogberg was forced to leave the contest due to injury.
In the overtime session, both the Hurricanes and Islanders recorded a single shot, with Sorokin turning aside Hurricanes center Seth Jarvis before Islanders pivot Brock Nelson put a wrist shot by Hurricanes netminder Pyotr Kochetkov to secure the 3-2 victory just over two minutes into extra time.
While Hogberg wrapped up the night with 24 saves prior to his exit, Sorokin was credited with the victory as he was between the pipes at the time of the game-winning goal. With the feat, the Russian-born netminder became just the eighth goaltender in NHL history to earn a victory after making a single save, per Islanders broadcaster Greg Picker.
— Greg Picker (@GregPickerHere) January 26, 2025
With the win, Sorokin improved to 16-14-4 on the season, coupled with a .904 save percentage, 2.75 goals-against average, and two shutouts.
Originally chosen by New York in the third round of the 2014 NHL Draft, Sorokin is in his fifth season with the Islanders, now totaling 226 career contests in which he has put together a 111-79-34 record with a .917 save percentage and 2.56 goals-against average. In 2022-23, Sorokin finished as runner-up to Linus Ullmark then of the Boston Bruins for Vezina Trophy honors after posting 31 wins in 62 games alongside a .924 save percentage and 2.33 goals-against average.
Speaking to reporters post game, including Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, Islanders head coach Patrick Roy indicated that Hogberg had sustained an upper-body injury and had tried to play through the ailment, but that it ‘got worse and worse’ as the third period progressed, leading to the goalie change.