Ilya Sorokin unlikely to get much rest during Islanders’ stretch run with workload concerns now moot

PITTSBURGH — It all seems pretty quaint now, that big preseason conversation about reducing Ilya Sorokin’s workload. 

Reality has a way of getting in the way of things, and it’s been a fair few months since you heard the phrase “back surgery,” hasn’t it? 

Everyone involved would probably acknowledge that it’s less than ideal for Sorokin to have started 14 of the Islanders’ past 15 games, and all but seven since Semyon Varlamov got hurt on Black Friday.

But even with Marcus Hogberg back in the fold, everyone would likewise note that with just two back-to-backs left this season, the Islanders could very well end up asking Sorokin to play 49 of their final 58 games by the time the year wraps up a month from now.

And if they make the playoffs, Sorokin is all but guaranteed to be a pretty big reason why. 

Quietly, he’s also been the Islanders’ best player since the trade deadline, with a .930 save percentage over his past five starts heading into Tuesday’s game against the suddenly hot Penguins. 

The Islanders can hardly afford to drop a game at this point, let alone one against a team below them in the standings.

So with Sorokin getting Monday off between games, he’ll likely be in net against a Pittsburgh team he’s beaten twice this season, including a shootout win in mid-November. 

Even in Sunday’s win against the Panthers, when the Islanders played a strong defensive game for most of the night, Sorokin ended up with a huge role to play toward the end, making eight of his 22 saves in the final 1:34 of regulation with Florida skating at six-on-five. 

“I thought we played well in front of him,” coach Patrick Roy said. “I think in the first period we gave zero chances, in the second maybe four or five, and in the third they had zero chances until that five-on-six.” 

And then, a whole lot of chances — all of which Sorokin stopped. 

It’s not quite two years ago when Sorokin stole game after game to get the Islanders into the playoffs.

But with the Islanders still figuring out how to effectively operate their offense post-Brock Nelson, the goalie has a key role to play. 

The Islanders did not hold practice Monday before flying to Pittsburgh.