The New York Islanders held a practice at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Sunday ahead of their upcoming game against the Vancouver Canucks. Head Coach Patrick Roy announced that goaltender Ilya Sorokin will start on Monday night. Sorokin recently recorded a 35-save shutout in a 1-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers and currently holds a 15-11-2 record this season, with a 2.47 goals-against average, .915 save percentage, and five shutouts—leading the league in that category. With his next appearance, Sorokin will tie Chico Resch for third place in games played by an Islanders goalie.
Roy commented on Max Tsyplakov’s return to the lineup, replacing Max Shabanov. Tsyplakov is expected to skate alongside Cal Ritchie and Emil Heineman after being out since January 10. Last season, Tsyplakov registered 35 points over 77 games but has scored only once in his first 24 games this season.
“I want him to play his game,” Roy said. “He’s a guy that will bring pucks to the net, a guy that plays really well defensively. To me, that’s his DNA, and I want him to play that game. I don’t need him to be like fancy with the puck. I know he will, which is fine with me at times, but what I really want to see with him is net presence. I mean, do a great job in the D zone and stuff like this and I know he can do it.”
Anders Lee recently became just the fifth player in franchise history to score 300 goals as an Islander, joining Mike Bossy (573), Bryan Trottier (500), Denis Potvin (310), and Clark Gillies (304).
“It’s very special,” Lee said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be here a long time and to play with a lot of great players who have found me in a lot of spots and allowed me to score those goals. Very grateful for that and my time here, and just never would have thought joining this team all those years ago to get to that point. So it’s pretty special for me, and very grateful to have shared it with the boys.”
For Marc Gatcomb, Monday’s matchup carries personal significance as he returns to Vancouver where he previously played two seasons for Abbotsford within the Canucks organization but never appeared in an NHL game at Rogers Arena.
“You know, the city here is awesome. It’s very pretty, driving in the rink, see the mountains, stuff like that,” Gatcomb said. “I still have a bunch of close friends on the other team that I stay in touch with pretty frequently. So catch up with them tonight, grab dinner, but yeah, it’s good to be back.”
The Islanders also expressed condolences following news of Phil Goyette’s death; Goyette was recognized as the organization’s original head coach.
