The Islanders are tracking to be without star netminder Ilya Sorokin as they try to keep their slim playoff hopes alive tonight against the Rangers. Head coach Patrick Roy told reporters today that Sorokin sustained a lower-body injury in Tuesday’s overtime loss to the Predators. The team announced they’d recalled Tristan Lennox from AHL Bridgeport on an emergency basis; he’ll back up Marcus Högberg tonight (via Stefen Rosner of NHL.com).
Sorokin sustained the injury when Nashville forward Michael McCarron fell onto him while scoring a goal in the second period. He stayed in the net but didn’t come out for the third, relieved by Högberg. Roy declined to confirm whether the team expected Sorokin back for its four remaining games after tonight’s tilt (via Rosner).
If it’s the end of the year for Sorokin, he closes the book on a mixed 2024-25 campaign. He recorded a career-low .905 SV% over 59 appearances, logging a 29-23-6 record. He still performed quite well compared to the quality of the team defense in front of him, with MoneyPuck estimating he’s saved 13.7 goals above expected. That’s a major improvement on last year’s 1.4 figure.
While the recall is unlikely to yield Lennox’s NHL debut, it’s still his first stint on an NHL roster. The Islanders’ 2021 third-round pick is in his second professional season but has made just 17 total appearances at the ECHL and AHL levels since the beginning of 2023-24. He started this season on the non-roster list with an undisclosed injury and was only sent to Bridgeport to begin his campaign in early February. Since making his AHL debut for the B-Isles, he’s yet to record a win and has a 4.44 GAA and .832 SV% in four showings, uninspiring numbers behind the worst club in high-level minor hockey.
The 22-year-old has faced an uphill battle, losing his draft year to the COVID-19 pandemic at a crucial time in his development. He looked solid in ECHL action last year, putting up a .909 SV% in 13 games for the Worcester Railers, something both he and the Isles will hang their hat on as they try to assess his long-term ceiling.