ST. LOUIS — Ilya Sorokin had never undergone surgery before this summer, when his back was operated on.
But to hear the goaltender tell it, it did not bother him at all that his normal training program was interrupted, with Sorokin not returning to practice with the Islanders until the tail end of training camp.
“It’s not hard, it’s just new,” Sorokin told The Post following Wednesday’s practice at the Enterprise Center. “It’s the first time in my career when I don’t have a preseason. … It was interesting. And a good experience.”
Instead of on-ice work, Sorokin spent time working in the gym, watching video with goalie coaches and doing “brain work” — and said he felt just as ready as usual at the start of the season.
Sorokin made his first start of the season against the Avalanche on Monday night, recording a win and stopping 32 of 34 shots. Though the Islanders have yet to decide on a starter for Thursday’s match against the Blues, Roy said Sorokin will “probably” get the net for a second straight game.
That would mark just the second time Sorokin has started consecutive games since late March of last season, when Semyon Varlamov took over No. 1 duties.
There was some worry that the way last season ended, compounded with the offseason surgery, would lead to struggles for Sorokin. But his debut, at least, was a rousing success.
“Don’t care about last season,” Sorokin said. “Last season in the past. I just focus on today and work on my details, what I can control. That’s it.”
Roy has declined to commit to a firm plan for how to deploy the two netminders this season, but it would not be a surprise to see a more even split than the Islanders have used in the past. Sorokin played 62 games in 2022-23 and, prior to Varlamov supplanting him at the end of last season, was on a similar pace.
After Wild goalie Filip Gustavsson scored an empty-net goal against the Blues on Tuesday night, Islanders coach Patrick Roy joked that he was jealous, having never successfully done the same in his own career.
“It’s not because I didn’t try,” Roy said. “I did try, but I guess this is something that happens.”
Former Islander and current Blues defenseman Nick Leddy missed practice on Wednesday and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
