TAMPA, Fla. — Ilya Sorokin is not usually one to give detailed breakdowns of his own play, and Thursday night was no exception.
“I feel at one level,” Sorokin said, asked if anything had shifted for him recently. “Nothing can change in my mind. Of course when you win, it’s positive emotions, but how our coach says, just until 12 a.m. and done. Tomorrow [is a] new day, ready for the next day.”
That mentality is part of what’s gotten Sorokin this far in his career.
But whatever he feels, his level has, without a doubt, risen over the last month.
In fact, Sorokin’s .938 save percentage in January marked his best over one month since March 2022.
His numbers also dramatically improved from December, when he had an abysmal 3.45 goals allowed average and .873 save percentage over 14 starts, to a dominant 1.75 GAA in nine games since the calendar flipped.
The Islanders’ current six-game winning streak doesn’t quite feel like past runs when Sorokin has been the only thing between them and disaster on a nightly basis.
The defense in front of him has been strong, particularly a dramatically improved penalty kill.
But the goalie is a pretty big piece of the puzzle as the Islanders charge up the standings, with a chance to make up a critical two points on the wild card-leading Lightning on Saturday night in Tampa.
“He’s been really solid,” coach Patrick Roy said after Thursday night’s 3-0 win over the Flyers marked Sorokin’s third shutout this season. “The last two games, I would say, against Colorado he gave us a chance. And again [Thursday] when they came in, I thought in the first period, we gave them three very good chances and he made some [saves].
“What I love about him right now, it looks easy. And I think when a goalie’s at the top of his game, that’s the situation.”
The workload on Sorokin is set to increase after Marcus Hogberg’s injury, a potential red flag as workload was a major factor in his struggles both in December and down the stretch last season.
Roy said Thursday the plan is to play Jakub Skarek — the organization’s fourth-string netminder and current backup — at some point, though it’s not clear when.
It looks possible Sorokin will be in nets for both games of a weekend back-to-back in Tampa and Sunrise, Fla., against two teams that pose a major challenge for the Islanders.
If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the Isles have been strong in defense, even with recent injuries to Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock.
Tony DeAngelo and Scott Perunovich have fit in well so far, and Alexander Romanov’s January was just as good as Sorokin’s, with his fellow Russian making an impact all over the ice.
“It’s not because of the last game or someone got injured or something. It’s hard work of the whole season,” Romanov told The Post. “If you work hard, you will improve your game. If you work on the details, you should improve. You will play better.”
During the Islanders’ current winning streak, Romanov has been on the ice for just two goals against.
And, since he missed the club’s only two losses of their seven-game homestand with an upper-body injury, the Islanders haven’t lost a game with No. 28 in the lineup since Jan. 2 against the Maple Leafs.
“I knew his game a bit, but when you’re not playing with a guy, you don’t really pay too much attention,” said DeAngelo, who has partnered Romanov since joining the Islanders. “He’s been really solid, he’s been smart, patient on breakouts. He makes guys’ heads on a swivel, coming across the ice ready to hit. And just really big, really solid. In good positions, beneficial for me, and hopefully, he feels the same way.”
