WATCH: Islanders Goalie Ilya Sorokin Robs Rangers Reilly Smith In First Period

NEW YORK, NY -- Ilya Sorokin is having one of the best starts of his NHL career.

The New York Islanders backstop got consecutive starts for the first time this season, playing in their 4-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday and getting the nod for their game against the cross-town rival New York Rangers on Sunday.

After the Rangers scored shorthanded at 3:44 of the first, with Sorokin having no shot to make the save, he made sure the Islanders' deficit didn't grow, robbing Rangers forward Reilly Smith at 4:17 of the first:

Sorokin is playing like the goalie they envisioned when they inked him to an eight-year deal, not the goalie who struggled in 2023-24, the one who needed back surgery this summer.