Three takeaways from Islanders' first games of December
New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin stretches during a break in the action against the Carolina Hurricanes at UBS Arena on Dec. 7, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Wednesday’s day off felt like a bit of a reset for the Islanders after an up-and-down start to December.
The Islanders open a home-and-home series with Chicago — 31st in the 32-team NHL — on Thursday night at UBS Arena. They are coming off a 3-1 loss to the visiting Kings on Tuesday night in which they were bad in the first period, then better after falling behind by two goals.
It left them 2-2-1 this month.
Here are three takeaways from December’s first five games:
1. The calvary better be coming . . . soon.
Top-liners Mathew Barzal (upper body/long-term injured reserve) and Anthony Duclair (lower body/LTIR) and defensemen Adam Pelech (jaw/injured reserve) and Mike Reilly (heart procedure/IR) all remain out, though Duclair and Pelech have resumed skating with the team in non-contact jerseys.
Coach Patrick Roy said he wanted the Islanders to tread water — stay near, preferably above, NHL .500 — while waiting for the players to get healthy.
But the cracks show in terms of in-game fatigue or an inability to finish chances. It’s only because the rest of the Eastern Conference has been so-so that the Islanders didn’t fall far from a playoff spot.
2. This Ilya Sorokin can steal some wins.
The goalie has started six straight games and the Islanders certainly were not at their best in a 2-1 loss in Montreal on Dec. 3, a 5-2 loss to the visiting Kraken on Dec. 5 and even in Sunday’s 4-2 win in Ottawa, besides the aforementioned rough start against the Kings.
Yet it was only against the Kraken, when Sorokin surrendered four goals on 13 shots in two periods, that he really didn’t give the Islanders a chance to win. His 29-save performance against the Senators absolutely stole two points and he almost did the same against the Kings.
He looks like the goalie that finished second in the Vezina Trophy balloting in 2023 and one that could backstop a playoff qualifier.
“He’s made some incredible saves, especially over the weekend and again tonight,” Kyle Palmieri said after the loss to the Kings. “Credit to him, he gave us a chance to still be in that game.
3. The kid will be all right.
Suffering through rough games is a rite of passage for NHL rookies. The important part is how the rookie reacts and, hopefully, improves because of the experience.
This is the spot defenseman Isaiah George finds himself in after being benched for the final period and a half against the Kings because he struggled mightily with puck management and positioning. Defenseman Scott Mayfield was unavailable Tuesday because of illness but if he’s good to go, it will be interesting to see if coach Patrick Roy gives George — a constant in the lineup since Nov. 5, which represents 18 of the 20-year-old’s 22 total professional games — a night off against Chicago to reset.
George’s mature demeanor suggests he would take the breather in the manner intended.
“The kid’s been outstanding for us since he’s been here,” Roy said. “Those things happen. In my rookie year I had some tougher nights. We call that a career and I think he’s going to learn a lot from that game. Now I want him to bounce back. It’s about the next game.”
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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