Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin is ill, so Marcus Hogberg gets start against Utah
Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin deflects the puck during the second period of an NHL game against the Boston Bruins on Jan. 5 in Boston, Mass. Credit: AP/Mark Stockwell
SALT LAKE CITY — Ilya Sorokin, coming off a 30-save shutout, was unavailable because of illness as the Islanders faced the Utah Hockey Club at Delta Center on Saturday night.
Marcus Hogberg, looking for his first NHL victory since April 28, 2021, made his second start and fourth appearance for the Islanders.
Sorokin was brilliant in blanking NHL-leading Vegas, 4-0, on Thursday night for his second shutout of the season and 20th of his career in the Islanders’ best win of the first half of the season. But he began to feel ill on Friday and the Islanders brought up Jakub Skarek from their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport on emergency recall to back up Hogberg.
“We kind of told [Hogberg] yesterday because Ilya started to be sick yesterday so we asked him to be ready for the game,” coach Patrick Roy said. “Actually, we made it pretty clear he was playing yesterday.”
Hogberg, who spent the previous three seasons playing in Sweden, made 38 saves in a 3-2 loss in Pittsburgh on Dec. 29 in his first start.
“I thought he had really good reads,” said Roy, a Hall of Fame goalie “He basically gave us a chance to come back in that game.”
Goalie Semyon Varlamov (lower body/long-term injured reserve) is expected to resume practicing with the Islanders when they return to New York.
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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