Islanders rookie goalie Ilya Sorokin must adjust to NHL style of play, Barry Trotz says
In this Feb. 11, 2017, file photo, Russia's goalkeeper Ilya Sorokin makes a save during the Sweden Hockey Games at Scandinavium Arena in Goteborg, Sweden. Credit: AP/Bjorn Larsson Rosvall
Asked what the biggest adjustment Russian rookie goaltender Ilya Sorokin will have to make in his first season in North America, coach Barry Trotz said learning English won’t be it.
"He speaks English, much more clearly than I do,’’ Trotz said of Sorokin.
Trotz thinks Sorokin has adapted to the narrower NHL rinks, but it is the "quickness and randomness’’ of NHL shots he will have to get used to. Semyon Varlamov said traffic in front of the net is the biggest difference between the KHL and the NHL.
"There's definitely more traffic in front of the net for NHL goalies,’’ Varlamov said. "I remember, in 2012 when I played in the KHL during the lockout, I had no problems during the game, to (be) able to find the puck. And then we finished KHL season and came back… it was very difficult for me, to play the game again here, because, it's really hard to find a puck (through traffic) in this league.’’
Cizikas recovers from injury
Casey Cizikas said he suffered a detached retina after taking a hit to the head during the Eastern Conference finals. But he feels good now.
"On the ice I feel confident and I feel comfortable, which is the biggest thing heading into this camp,’’ he said. "I took a shot to the head in the bubble, and my vision kind of went blurry a little bit in my left eye.
"After we saw the doctors in Edmonton… it was detached, and that it was more serious than I was hoping,’’ he said. "I'm glad we caught it when we did, because it could have been way worse.’’
Boychuk with the team
Defenseman Johnny Boychuk, who can no longer play after suffering a serious eye injury, has been around the team and the players say he will continue to be around, but he doesn’t have any official role yet, the team said. Trotz said the team will miss Boychuk for the intangibles he brought.
"Those things that Johnny does, day in and day out, he makes it fun without cheating on the work,’’ Trotz said.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
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