Patrick Roy was not getting into how he plans to handle the goaltenders in the second game of an Islanders back-to-back after Ilya Sorokin starts the first on Friday, let alone his plans in net for the final six games of the season.
It feels safe to assume, though — after Sorokin has started on consecutive days twice in the past two weeks and with David Rittich having started just twice since March 5 — that Saturday’s game in Carolina is the only time during the rest of the season in which Rittich might have the net.
Given that Sorokin has a strong case to win the Vezina Trophy, it only makes sense for the Islanders to play him as much as they can for as long as they are fighting for their playoff lives. Riding Sorokin in November is one thing; doing so in the season’s most important games is the point of having a franchise goaltender.
Still, it is a window into an interesting dilemma in front of general manager Mathieu Darche this offseason.
