Achi news desk-
ELMONT, NY – Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders got the start in Game 3 as a standing goaltender trying to give his team a fresh start after trailing the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0 in their series opener.
But things quickly turned rotten for Sorokin. He gave up three goals on 14 shots before being pulled 7:14 into the second period. Semyon Varlamov, who started the first two games of the series, stopped all eight shots he faced in relief, but it wasn’t enough: the Hurricanes defeated the Islanders 3-2 on Thursday, and New York now faces was eliminated Saturday afternoon at UBS Arena.
Coach Patrick Roy, who made the decision to start Sorokin, declined to directly address his goaltender’s Game 3 performance.
“I’m going to say this: We win and we lose as a team. So I’m not going to go there. But what I’m going to say is sometimes we make changes as a coach because we feel like we want to change the momentum of the game. I’ll leave it then,” said Roy, who had a Hall of Fame career as an NHL goaltender.
Asked how his removal might affect Sorokin’s confidence, Roy again deflected.
“Right now I’m more focused on the team than focusing on our goalkeeper,” he said.
Varlamov started the Islanders’ first two playoff games in Raleigh, posting a .905 save percentage and 3.03 goals against average. He gave up six goals on 63 shots. That included two goals in a nine-second span in Game 2, as the Hurricanes tied it and took the lead in shocking fashion during the third period.
Roy justified the goalie change Thursday because Varlamov faced 39 shots in Game 2 and the Islanders planned to use both goalies in the postseason.
Varlamov said he respected Roy’s decision to bench him for Game 3, even after he was recalled to action after being moved from Sorokin.
“I trust Patrick on the decisions he makes,” Varlamov said. “He’s a head coach. We have to respect any decisions they make as a coaching staff.”
Sorokin, 28, got the most starts this season, appearing in 56 games to Varlamov’s 28. But Varlamov, 35, won seven of his last eight to lead the Islanders to a playoff berth in April, and won the shirt to start the game. playoffs.
Only 4:46 into Game 3 Carolina scored against Sorokin as Brent Burns’ shot deflected off the Island defender’s stick. Defenseman Dmitry Orlov made it 2-0 at 10:25 on a shot that Sorokin couldn’t get over fast enough to stop.
After Peter Engvall cut the lead to 2-1 at 2:48 of the second period, Carolina’s Sebastian Aho beat Sorokin on another stoppable shot to make it 3-1 at 7:14 from the second period. Roy told Varlamov that he was replacing Sorokin.
After being removed, Sorokin stood in the hallway to the dressing room, slumped over with his mask still on, looking miserable.
“This is the game. Anything could happen. It’s not the first time,” Varlamov said of his friend and teammate. “I mean, what are you going to do? You have to move on and then forget about it and then just prepare for the next game.”
After finishing second in Vezina Trophy voting for the NHL’s best goaltender last season, Sorokin posted his worst save percentage (.908) and goals against average (3.01) of his four-season career. He is entering an eight-year, $66 million contract extension next season for the Islanders, who did not release him for comment after the game.
Before Game 3, Roy recalled how his goal coach with the Montreal Canadiens described him and backup goaltender Brian Hayward as different types of automobiles.
“Hayward was a Cadillac. It was comfortable. I was the Ferrari. I could be a little more uneven,” said Roy, who then applied the analogy to the Islanders. “We had the Cadillac in the first two games, and now we’re going with the Ferrari.”
Unfortunately for the Islanders, they experienced engine failure in Game 3 and the Hurricanes took control of the series.
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Isles goalie changes as Hurricanes go up 3-0 – ESPN appeared first on Canada News Media.
