Mar 26, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) makes a save on a shot on goal attempt in the first period against the Dallas Stars at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
ELMONT, NY — What’s the opposite of an old-fashioned Texas shootout? A Long Island goalie clinic.
New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin continues his superb season, making 26 saves in the New York Islanders’ 2-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Thursday night at UBS Arena.
The star netminder has allowed just one goal over his last two starts, a span that began on Sunday in a 1-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets in which he tied a franchise record with his seventh shutout of the season.
“I don’t even know what more I can say good about him,” forward Bo Horvat said about Sorokin. “He’s a phenomenal player, we’re so lucky to have him, and he was phenomenal again tonight.”
Horvat’s 30th goal of the season in the first period, followed by a Cal Ritchie tally in the third, accounted for New York’s offense. With it, the Islanders (41-27-5, 87 points) move back into a playoff spot by leaping over the Ottawa Senators for the second and final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Senators lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins — who the Islanders trail by one point for third place in the Metropolitan Division — in a shootout on Thursday night.
“Everyone understood that this was a big moment in the season,” Sorokin said. “Everybody knows what they should do, and every game is like a last game. But in the end, we should enjoy the game. If we enjoy it, we show our best game.”
Horvat put the Islanders in front 4:48 into the game with a wrister from the left circle, beating Jake Oettinger over the shoulder. With it, he became the 19th player in franchise history to record multiple 30-goal seasons.
As they did against the Blue Jackets on Sunday night, they proceeded to over-rely on Sorokin, who stoned Grade-A after Grade-A chance. He stopped Sam Steel on a shorthanded breakaway late in the first, turned away three awkward, high-traffic power-play opportunities midway through the second.
Mainly against the run of play, Horvat nearly nabbed a second from a nearly identical spot as his first goal with eight minutes left in the second, but his wrister rang off the iron.
It sparked the Islanders’ best push since Horvat’s goal. Simon Holmstrom drew a Wyatt Johnston holding penalty, and it forced Oettinger to make a particularly difficult sliding save on a one-timed attempt from in close. Jean-Gabriel Pageau also missed an open net from deep in the left circle, though a skittering puck and difficult angle did him no favors.
Sorokin ended the second by denying Mavrik Borque from point-blank range at the buzzer after Jason Robertson stripped Adam Pelech in the corner.
The Islanders nabbed a second when Matthew Schaefer’s lazy wrist shot hit off the foot of Ritchie, who was jockeying for position in front of Oettinger, and slid into the net 2:19 into the third period.
“That’s what we want from him,” head coach Patrick Roy said of Ritchie’s goal. “Even in the third period, at some point, he went behind the net, held the puck, protected the puck, and used his body. I’m happy for him. He’s using his body.”
Kyle MacLean might have had the Islanders’ third just moments later when he was wide-open on the right goal line, but Oettinger made a lunging glove save to keep his team within two.
The Stars spoiled what would have been Sorokin’s franchise-record eighth shutout this season with 2:59 remaining when Matt Duchene one-timed a chance over the shoulder of the New York netminder with Dallas’ net empty. It came on a transitional play in which Schaefer fumbled the puck in the neutral zone, which would have likely iced the game.
