Barry Trotz not sure who he's starting at goalie for Islanders in Game 2
Bruins center Brad Marchand watches the puck go airborne along with Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin and defenseman Ryan Pulock in the first period of Game 1 during an NHL second-round playoff series Saturday in Boston. Credit: AP/Elise Amendola
BOSTON — Barry Trotz expressed no issues with how Ilya Sorokin played in Game 1. But the Islanders coach was not ready to commit to starting the Russian rookie in Monday night’s Game 2 against the Bruins at TD Garden, leaving open the possibility of switching back to Semyon Varlamov.
Sorokin allowed four goals on 39 shots – two long rebounds deposited by David Pastrnak as part of his hat trick and two screened shots – in Saturday night’s 5-2 loss in Game 1. It was Sorokin’s fourth straight start and he’s 4-1 with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage, including the Islanders’ six-game, first-round victory over the Penguins.
"I can’t blame him on anything, really," Trotz said after Sunday’s optional practice at Warrior Ice Rink. "They hit spots. It went right over to Pastrnak. Actually twice, once on the power play and once five-on-five. There was nothing he could do about that. I was happy with his game."
Still, Trotz said he had yet to decide on a goalie for Game 2 and Varlamov, in net for losses to the Penguins in Games 2 and 3, presents an intriguing option.
He went 19-11-4 with a 2.04 GAA, a .929 save percentage and seven shutouts in the regular season and could be among the finalists announced on Tuesday for the Vezina Trophy. He led the Islanders to the Eastern Conference finals last season and was 5-1-0 with a 1.93 GAA and .943 save percentage against the Bruins this season.
"You can be successful with either one of them," Trotz said. "The last series, Ilya started feeling it against Pittsburgh and we’ve stuck with him. He’s playing good. I don’t know where I’m going."
There were three instances in Game 1 where Sorokin seemed to lose the puck in his pads.
"A couple of times Boston bull-rushed our net and created some of those situations," Trotz said. "I have a couple of clips of our 'D' actually screening him so we didn’t help him a whole lot. Just moving over two feet here, two feet there would really help our goaltending. They came at us hard and we weren’t able to find some pucks and there was some loose change around."
Wahlstrom sidelined
Oliver Wahlstrom will remain out of the Islanders’ lineup for Game 2. Trotz confirmed it was a lower-body injury the rookie sharpshooter sustained in Game 5 against the Penguins.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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