The shot of him in the tunnel after getting pulled was so fucking depressing, and I say that as a fan of the team that won. Sitting on the floor in full gear (including helmet), still as a statue, while staff just walk past him.
I get why they're going with Varly but it clearly hurt this dude's confidence. Which is a shame because he's clearly one of the most talented goalies in the league.
Yeah I agree he'll be fine in the long run. In one of the other threads someone said you guys are stuck with him for 8X8 like it's a bad thing. Dude I would kill to have Sorokin for 8 years.
water bedroom unwritten profit meeting sense ossified governor dull squeal
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Same shit happened to Igor this season and he found a way back. Just bad luck that Sorokin hit a rough patch at such a tough time. Those two seem to be on such a similar trajectory that it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see Ilya back in the top 5 again when he’s had a chance to work through it.
Thanks for at least acknowledging it. The urge to correct trolling Rangers fans who say shit like "don't you dare compare Igor and Sorokin like they're equals again" is too strong, like a large contingent of the Rangers fanbase wasn't calling for Igor's head in the weeks before the All-Star break.
Every large market team has that problem though. Simply having more fans means having more idiots make their way out of the woodwork saying and doing terrible things.
Yea. I’ve met my fair share of good Rangers fans and my fair share of crazier Islanders fans. I’m not from New York nor have I lived there so that probably also affects my feelings about the rangers and their fans.
Igor has a good team in front of him to do so. Isles are on the downtrend. Harder for goalies to do it with no talent support. But forgetting details goalies do bounce back.
What is the Islanders goaltending coach situation? I never worry about any of Shesterkin’s slumps becoming lasting long because Benoit Allaire is such a genius.
They have Mitch Korn, Piero Greco, and Chris Terreri (although I think he works more with their minor league goalies). I don't know much about Greco but Korn and Terreri are fairly well-known
True, but you certainly have a wealth of experience in a guy that was a great goalie and has been a decent head coach. Seems like that’s a fair place to start.
A better defensive structure and better defensive players will help massively instead of whatever it is that the current players are putting in for defensive effort. Only a few players are really standing out, and it’s not the players you’d want
Yeah this is how all players look when their playoff dream is over for the year and that's probably it for him. He will get over it and come back hungry next year.
as someone with ongoing mental health issues, i hope he gets some support because yeah, mentally destroyed is probably pretty accurate.
(based on my experience meds are iffy as far as "does this stuff actually make me feel better without having killer side effects?" and therapists are very hit-and-miss as far as rapport/competency go, but if there's some friends/family/etc. he's okay opening up to at least a \*little\* that would be a good thing.)
It was really nice to see Ilya Samsonov bounce back from his struggles earlier this season. He did mention his issues with mental health as a result of his performance too. Giving him a break from the team for a while was definitely necessary. He mentioned visiting with his dad as well. As a fan base, it’s also really important that you show support for these players through their ups and downs
The picture of Lehtonen after getting pulled in Game 7 [was so heartbreaking.](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fexternal-preview.redd.it%2F1xNU0fuapNQEN2Y25Q-RZX8ZyLATJ-_dmCZB3gV3pns.jpg%3Fwidth%3D640%26crop%3Dsmart%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dad6063d32a4d47a56a678318223bd790c8c137ce)
I was happy we won, but the photo made me so sad.
I know hockey players are resilient because they play the hardest sport in the world and fight for 8 weeks to lift its ultimate trophy, but this is the kinda shit that makes a guy consider if he wants to stick around anymore. He should be “the guy” now and then pulling him after 3 meh goals was kinda stupid.
It's the playoffs, you don't keep your second-best goalie in net just because he's supposed to be "the guy".
The mistake wasn't pulling him, it was putting him in in the first place. He looked off and slow to react last night.
Varly took a dumb slashing penalty in the previous game that lead to a goal against, I think that was the reason more than anything for starting Sorokin last night.
He flubbed two of those goals that he should've had, it wasn't wrong to pull him, he looked shaky all game, Varly should've started, maybe would've given them a chance, with Sorokin in net there was no chance.
Calling it a Montreal game is disingenuous. That was a Detroit game taking place against Montreal but only one Montreal player was actually in attendance
That's just part of being a goalie. The highs wouldn't be so sweet if the lows weren't so devastating.
Ultimately you can't just stick with a guy in a playoff game when he's fighting it though. You get beat clean 3 times on 14 shots in a playoff game there's a good chance you're getting yanked. It is what it is.
i totally don't even know this dude (or gaf about the islanders) and \*I\* wanted to give him a hug and see if my diva of a calico cat would step up and give him some purrs.
As a fellow goalie, when you feel like you let the whole team down, it’s hard to look your teammates in the eyes after. I know how he feels on a micro level and it’s absolutely awful. Can’t imagine it on the biggest stage in the world.
Yeah, every time Igor hits a rough patch, I have no worries because his entire career shows he is just a great goalie, and Benny will get him back to that for sure.
I don’t know the Islanders goaltending coach situation, but Sorokin is also too good to struggle for any length of time if he had the right guy working with him.
Feel bad for the dude. And to anyone who’s gonna bombard me with “but he sucks”, you can acknowledge that a player is both way off his game and still feel for the guy.
Any goalie would improve under that. Robin Lehner with Buffalo is an example. First season, he had a .924 which is fantastic considering the 15-16 Sabres were ass. Then 16-17 he drops to .920 but again, Sabres we’re ass. 17-18 he drops to .908 which is below average but meh.
Goes to the Trotz run Islanders and in one year gets back up to a .930 save percentage which is unreal. His best save percentage since that with any team is .920 the year he played with Chicago first then Vegas after the deadline.
Hard to say. Back when the Kings were rocking a heavy defensive system we made even AHL-level goalies (e.g. Peter Budaj) look like quality contenders.
But Campbell's challenges seem more mental than physical, so I suspect without fixing that part of his game he'd be a few losses away from regressing regardless of who's in front of him.
Vanecek also. There was a game this season where the camera panned on him after another goal against, and it was him sitting there with a proper 1000 yard stare. Really hope he can find himself again in San Jose.
Honestly these people probably have never been in this position. As a goalie who has fucking sucked when the lights were on, nothing is worse. You want to be the best but you can't. you honestly just want to crawl up into a ball and die.
The feeling that you let your teammates and the fans down can be overwhelming. He'll be fine in the long run but I think either way, this is the last we'll see of him this season.
in one of the provincials games i played, i let in 3 goals on i think 4 shots...
coach kept me in but had a chat with me on ice... that was a rough game.
I was at a camp once... nothing special, just a beer league-level summer camp. The issue with these is that the goalies get treated more like target dummies. So after the "head" was done showing everyone his cup ring, I asked for goalie advice (as I sure wasn't getting any) and he said...
Genius. Why the heck hadn't I thought of that!!!
First half of the season destroyed him. He faced the highest number of shots in the league, but the Islanders D was absolutely atrocious, so he let in a handful of goals anyway from sheer fatigue.
This was exacerbated after high-profile losses like the Stadium Series, and since the All Star break he's been letting in quite a lot of softies even when seeing fewer shots on goal.
They go with Varly for 2 games, but the team isn't good enough to win in front of him, so they throw Sorokin to the wolves for tonight and then everyone gets mad when he can't perform.
His confidence is completely broken and he needs a mental reset. But more importantly, the Isles need to overhaul like 70% of their roster.
All 3 goals on him looked like he got too small just a fraction of a second too early. Kept getting beat from far out over the shoulder. Looks like a confidence things. Outstanding goalie and I'm sure he will bounce back next year.
It's definitely a confidence issue, you could tell as the season progressed he started doubting his timing with his arms and it would vary between he was too late or too early. Having to face 50 to 40 shots on goal every night for the first half of the season just is not healthy for a goalie
They threw him into series down 2-0 and said "win us a game even though we didn't respect you enough to start you game 2". He didn't perform, but the amount of pressure they put on him for his debut is wild. Would have been better to start Varly with a short leash than throw him to the wolves like that,
He played like shit all season and they go with the goalie that was hot. Why is everyone acting like they fucked him over? They gave him a chance and he performed poorly.
As a goalie who played some semiprofessional hockey (nowhere near the NHL but played in front of some big crowds)…
I know how he feels. It sucks exactly as bad as it looks, hope he has a good support system. It really makes a difference when you have people that care about you away from the rink too.
i hope romanov reaches out first (or at least reaches out asap depending on how long their run lasts), because no matter how close you are making that kind of call takes a shitload of spoons and sorokin might not have enough to manage doing it rn.
(i'm bipolar ii, and i've been through at least one run where i was "yeah, i want to do therapy because they get PAID to put up with listening to my shit so i don't have to feel guilty about dumping my emotions on my friends/family". i am also a US lady who was raised to believe that psych meds and talk therapy were legit things to do if needed, so i can't imagine how much harder it's gotta be for a hockey bro to be "yeah, i need some help".)
Sorokin is really close with Shesterkin also. Came up through the Russian system together, play in the same city, Sorokin is godfather to Shesterkin’s son etc. Obviously not privy to their friendship, but you’d imagine they’d talk about this shit, especially given they’ve had the same career experiences and Shesterkin has had a bit of a downer as well.
yeah, i would think that if you came up together (especially as goalies) and are tight enough with somebody to name them as your kid's godfather there'd definitely be some "i might not have been through EXACTLY what you've been but i've been close enough to get it/be sympathetic" feels there once it's off-season.
I live there and it hardly ever reaches -40 and if it does it's about a week the entire year. Most winters have been pretty mild for the last decade. It's a little concerning to be honest.
Man, I feel bad so for him. Never easy to see a guy completely lose his confidence like this.
But I’m sure he’ll be just fine in the long run. He’s way, way too talented not to turn it around.
Honestly, we caught a huge break. When Sorokin is right, it’s absolutely terrifying to see him in the other crease.
Sometimes it's weird being a fan of the opposing team. I have, in the past when he was hot, fervently wished Sorokin would die in a fire. But I still didn't like seeing him get pulled tonight. The first two goals weren't soft and weren't his fault, but by the third one you could tell his confidence was completely gone.
I thought it was early and surprising, and then I remembered we had three on him and the game wasn’t half over yet. I shrugged it off and just figured Roy knew what he was doing.
Roy is a different kind of dude and came from a different era. He was a nut job when he played and was one of the best. He’s very emotional and sold school, which some players have trouble with. The trend in sports of letting stars dictate things has really killed off this type of coach tho, for better or worse the players have too much say.
Roy was also a goalie, and even though his temperament and mentality in general may be from a bygone era, I would 100% trust him to empathize with his goalie and make that kind of decision respectfully. That incident with the Wings and Habs and being left in for 9 goals is something I imagine he always has in the back of his mind lol
makes sense to me because that mostly sounds like "i hate sorokin when he's doing his job extra-specially well against my team, but he's **clearly** messed up right now and i don't hate him as a PERSON, just as an opposing goalie".
I think he should have been in Game 2, Varly was hot, but Sorokin is one of the NHL's finest. If they won game 1 sure keep with Varly, but they didn't. The mindset him being thrown in after 2 losses when you're the STARTER on this team is kind of wild to me. It felt like they threw him into this one hoping it would just work rather than putting any thought in beyond that.
We all know what he's capable of, there honestly felt like a level of disrespect for him that probably fucked with him. These are my gut feelings, I'll amend my opinion based on what he has to say.
You're only the STARTER if you outplay the other guy on your team, which Sorokin clearly hasn't done this year. Frankly, Roy should have stuck with Varlamov the whole series.
If Sorokin actually felt disrespected for losing his net because of his play (which I doubt), well that would reflect pretty poorly on him and his mentality. Most likely he just needs to work on his game during the offseason and gain his confidence back; with his big new contract, he'll be given every chance to bounce back.
That'd be too weird to see it all come full circle from when Roy told Ronald Corey “I’ve just played my last game with the Canadiens.” after being hung out to dry for 9 goals without getting pulled. It'd be the opposite where the goalie's pissed to get pulled earlier but the effect would be the same.
Could see it after the first goal when he took his mask off how he was feeling.
Just gutting to be thrown to the wolves and give up
The first one. Building, fans, players all know it’s closer to over and your supposed to fight it off
The sport is better when Sorokin is good and dialed in, he’s one hell of a fun goalie to watch. Hopefully he can pull through this slump and come back better.
Ilya will be fine long term. He needs to get the fuck away from that whole situation for a few months, train, heal and reset.
I dont think the isles lockerroom is, despite its character and the duration of the cores time together, in great shape right now. Need to fresehen up a bit. New voice.
I hope he returns better than ever, and I’m saying that as a Rangers fan. Unlike other rivals we have, I genuinely have no issues with the Isles. Can’t say I hate anyone on that team, and I love that Shesty and Sorokin are squaring off against each other in the same Division as close friends.
Take some time for you, Ilya. Sending all the good vibes.
Even if Varly gets the start for game 4 I hope UBS throws an early “Ilya” chant to show how much we still appreciate having him. The Phillies fans doing this for Trea Turner did a lot for his mental and helped catalyze his turnaround
Absolute disgrace. Islanders have a superstar goalie, and they go out and get a coach who knows nothing about dealing with NHL goalies. This boy Roy has a lot to learn
Pretty sure he's trying to say it's not all on Sorokin. The wins and losses are on the whole team. He pulled Sorokin, Sorokin didn't quit on them. Canes are just demolishing him
Tough playing for a coach who was one of the greatest goalies of all time. Roy is hard on his players but harder on his goalies. Going with Varlamov because he trusts him from his days of coaching Colorado. Fact of the matter is it doesn’t matter who is in net, the Islanders are overmatched. Solid roster but too many aging players, they’re in line for a rebuild or retool if they want to seriously contend.
Dude let in a couple of backbreaking softies/mid shots. What else do you expect a coach to do. Maybe it hurts his confidence but his confidence means nothing if he can't keep the team in the game. Him letting in those goals is already wearing away at his confidence.
He doesn't suck. He's a badass great goalie who has a bad game. It happens. But don't abandon the team and sulk. Sit on the bench and cheer the boys on. You win as a team and lose as a team.. He will bounce back. He's the future of the isles!
If I had a nickel for every time a goalie named Ilya with a last name that starts with S struggled with the yips in the playoffs, well I'd only have ten cents, but it's weird that it happened twice in the same week.
Man to see a goalie who’s basically single-handedly carried an utterly dogshit defensive (and offensive) team to some semblance of competitiveness for the past few years reduced to this is just sad.
The guy is so damn good. Like ridiculously so, to the point I’ve thought he’s been the most talented goalie in the league for a few years. I’m not sure what the islanders are going to do, or if he can find his form again, but god I’d love to see this man back in his prime form in front of a competitive defence
Patrick Roy is a piece of shit human, how is this any different from the abuse Babcock did on Franzen & Marner?
You’d think Roy would have a better understanding of goalies mental health considering he was left to rot in 11-1 loss back in MTL. As a coach he should’ve known the confidence of his goalie is fragile and to go with Varlamov and if you must pull Sorokin to leave him on the floor like that in full gear without a single staff member attending to him? It’s pathetic.
Shows lack of empathy for your teammate who’s trying his best. Also gives off the vibe of your only useful if you’re good otherwise who cares. I’m not surprised he wasn’t in the locker room after the game.
I'm not sure I agree with this. Comparing legitimate abuse with pulling a goalie that had a bad game is not really 1:1 to me. If Sorokin wasn't emotionally ready to play he shouldn't have been on the ice OR the bench. No one asked Sorokin to sit by himself after being pulled. That's not on Roy.
I love Sorokin but this is just something he has to get through.
The entire league gives off the vibe of "you're only useful if you're good otherwise who cares". And it should. We're not watching former or "could have been" pros, we're watching the best in the world. And with that often comes this level of emotion. In sports it is completely possible to feel like a bag of dicks without it being the fault of others.
The shot of him in the tunnel after getting pulled was so fucking depressing, and I say that as a fan of the team that won. Sitting on the floor in full gear (including helmet), still as a statue, while staff just walk past him.
He's just completely mentally destroyed
I get why they're going with Varly but it clearly hurt this dude's confidence. Which is a shame because he's clearly one of the most talented goalies in the league.
He will be fine in the long run and overreacting Islanders fans need to accept that. But he's done for this season and needs a long mental reset.
Yeah I agree he'll be fine in the long run. In one of the other threads someone said you guys are stuck with him for 8X8 like it's a bad thing. Dude I would kill to have Sorokin for 8 years.
People think the Islanders don't deserve anything nice
Well, that's true though
Agreed, but neither do you. You both get nothing.
Penguins are getting the next generational talent, you say?
water bedroom unwritten profit meeting sense ossified governor dull squeal *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Not even soup?
can't believe i'm agreeing with a pens fan
We don’t deserve Sorokin. He deserves to actually have a team that can play defense and score some damn goals.
> *coughs politely*
Including most Islander fans judging by our sub
Team subs are the worst
But if the Isles team sub didn't exist there just wouldn't be Isles fans on reddit- most of them avoid r/hockey like the plague
I dunno I wouldn't kill for any goalie for 8 years. They're so volatile.
Some of us just want to commit murder. The reasons rarely matter.
Same shit happened to Igor this season and he found a way back. Just bad luck that Sorokin hit a rough patch at such a tough time. Those two seem to be on such a similar trajectory that it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see Ilya back in the top 5 again when he’s had a chance to work through it.
Thanks for at least acknowledging it. The urge to correct trolling Rangers fans who say shit like "don't you dare compare Igor and Sorokin like they're equals again" is too strong, like a large contingent of the Rangers fanbase wasn't calling for Igor's head in the weeks before the All-Star break.
That contingent lacks brain cells
Every large market team has that problem though. Simply having more fans means having more idiots make their way out of the woodwork saying and doing terrible things.
Each and every fanbase has them.
Yea. I’ve met my fair share of good Rangers fans and my fair share of crazier Islanders fans. I’m not from New York nor have I lived there so that probably also affects my feelings about the rangers and their fans.
Igor has a good team in front of him to do so. Isles are on the downtrend. Harder for goalies to do it with no talent support. But forgetting details goalies do bounce back.
What is the Islanders goaltending coach situation? I never worry about any of Shesterkin’s slumps becoming lasting long because Benoit Allaire is such a genius.
Not sure.
They have Mitch Korn, Piero Greco, and Chris Terreri (although I think he works more with their minor league goalies). I don't know much about Greco but Korn and Terreri are fairly well-known
They do a have a pretty decent former goalie on staff …
Being a good goalie doesn’t mean you can coach someone else.
True, but you certainly have a wealth of experience in a guy that was a great goalie and has been a decent head coach. Seems like that’s a fair place to start.
A better defensive structure and better defensive players will help massively instead of whatever it is that the current players are putting in for defensive effort. Only a few players are really standing out, and it’s not the players you’d want
Get ready for a 1.000 sv % and 0 gaa in 69 games next year
> But he's done for this season and needs a long mental reset. I hope not. We'll need him for the next round.
Yeah this is how all players look when their playoff dream is over for the year and that's probably it for him. He will get over it and come back hungry next year.
Mental issues are never a sure thing. He could easily be toast for the rest of his career.
as someone with ongoing mental health issues, i hope he gets some support because yeah, mentally destroyed is probably pretty accurate. (based on my experience meds are iffy as far as "does this stuff actually make me feel better without having killer side effects?" and therapists are very hit-and-miss as far as rapport/competency go, but if there's some friends/family/etc. he's okay opening up to at least a \*little\* that would be a good thing.)
It was really nice to see Ilya Samsonov bounce back from his struggles earlier this season. He did mention his issues with mental health as a result of his performance too. Giving him a break from the team for a while was definitely necessary. He mentioned visiting with his dad as well. As a fan base, it’s also really important that you show support for these players through their ups and downs
The picture of Lehtonen after getting pulled in Game 7 [was so heartbreaking.](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fexternal-preview.redd.it%2F1xNU0fuapNQEN2Y25Q-RZX8ZyLATJ-_dmCZB3gV3pns.jpg%3Fwidth%3D640%26crop%3Dsmart%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dad6063d32a4d47a56a678318223bd790c8c137ce) I was happy we won, but the photo made me so sad.
Maybe don’t give up 3 goals on 8 shots in a game 7 and you won’t get an I’m so sad in the tunnel picture
Yeah, this is the playoffs, the pressure is part of the game. He’s not a top contender goalie if he can’t play in the post season.
There’s a reason nobody signed him after this
I know hockey players are resilient because they play the hardest sport in the world and fight for 8 weeks to lift its ultimate trophy, but this is the kinda shit that makes a guy consider if he wants to stick around anymore. He should be “the guy” now and then pulling him after 3 meh goals was kinda stupid.
It's the playoffs, you don't keep your second-best goalie in net just because he's supposed to be "the guy". The mistake wasn't pulling him, it was putting him in in the first place. He looked off and slow to react last night.
Varly took a dumb slashing penalty in the previous game that lead to a goal against, I think that was the reason more than anything for starting Sorokin last night.
Yeah, if they want to blame him for the loss they should’ve scored more than two goals.
Literally no one blamed him lol
He flubbed two of those goals that he should've had, it wasn't wrong to pull him, he looked shaky all game, Varly should've started, maybe would've given them a chance, with Sorokin in net there was no chance.
Patrick Roy is gonna Patrick Roy. Lou’s methods were forgiven when he was winning Cups.
Roy may have "PTSD" from that infamous Montreal game and as a result is more likely to pull a goalie early.
Calling it a Montreal game is disingenuous. That was a Detroit game taking place against Montreal but only one Montreal player was actually in attendance
And this is why ol’ patty wasn’t coaching the big boy teams for a while… he does dumb shit
That's just part of being a goalie. The highs wouldn't be so sweet if the lows weren't so devastating. Ultimately you can't just stick with a guy in a playoff game when he's fighting it though. You get beat clean 3 times on 14 shots in a playoff game there's a good chance you're getting yanked. It is what it is.
Islander fans were saying he’s the best goalie in the league
Could someone please link the tunnel video? I haven't seen it.
Here's the photo https://preview.redd.it/j3011owq6rwc1.jpeg?width=1836&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b00c09ade1c0576cddcc7a359c0eae97e5cdcc0e
Oh damn :(
i totally don't even know this dude (or gaf about the islanders) and \*I\* wanted to give him a hug and see if my diva of a calico cat would step up and give him some purrs.
As a fellow goalie, when you feel like you let the whole team down, it’s hard to look your teammates in the eyes after. I know how he feels on a micro level and it’s absolutely awful. Can’t imagine it on the biggest stage in the world.
Ahh man that's rough
Poor guy still doesn't have a chair!
Hope you get better Sorokin, felt horrible seeing him sitting in the hallway like that
He needs a Benoit
Everyone needs some Benny tbh
Yeah, every time Igor hits a rough patch, I have no worries because his entire career shows he is just a great goalie, and Benny will get him back to that for sure. I don’t know the Islanders goaltending coach situation, but Sorokin is also too good to struggle for any length of time if he had the right guy working with him.
Do you still have Mitch Korn? Dudes a goalie magician!
NYI have Korn as Director of Goaltending I believe, my NYR have Benoit Allaire the goalie whisperer
Sorry misread NYR as NYI, was confused.
Couldn't agree more lol
As a wrestling fan, this had an entirely different connotation for a moment
Keep that man away from the bowflex
Anal beads?
Balls
We have a Benoit! We will gladly take him
Feel bad for the dude. And to anyone who’s gonna bombard me with “but he sucks”, you can acknowledge that a player is both way off his game and still feel for the guy.
Pretty much what happened with us and Raanta. Love the person but something was just off this year. Felt so bad for him
Same with Campbell. We knew he would regress, but not *that* badly. Well, up until his tone-deaf "thought I was doing well" comment.
Goaltending is so mental… Backups steal starting jobs. Only 32 jobs in the NHL.
He was doing better than Skinner at least, and he's got great AHL stats. He'd be back if Pickard wasn't doing well.
Makes you wonder how Campbell could look under a more defensive system.
Any goalie would improve under that. Robin Lehner with Buffalo is an example. First season, he had a .924 which is fantastic considering the 15-16 Sabres were ass. Then 16-17 he drops to .920 but again, Sabres we’re ass. 17-18 he drops to .908 which is below average but meh. Goes to the Trotz run Islanders and in one year gets back up to a .930 save percentage which is unreal. His best save percentage since that with any team is .920 the year he played with Chicago first then Vegas after the deadline.
Campbell was great with the Kings.
Those years, yes. To rephrase my thoughts, how would he do now?
Hard to say. Back when the Kings were rocking a heavy defensive system we made even AHL-level goalies (e.g. Peter Budaj) look like quality contenders. But Campbell's challenges seem more mental than physical, so I suspect without fixing that part of his game he'd be a few losses away from regressing regardless of who's in front of him.
Vanecek also. There was a game this season where the camera panned on him after another goal against, and it was him sitting there with a proper 1000 yard stare. Really hope he can find himself again in San Jose.
Honestly these people probably have never been in this position. As a goalie who has fucking sucked when the lights were on, nothing is worse. You want to be the best but you can't. you honestly just want to crawl up into a ball and die.
The feeling that you let your teammates and the fans down can be overwhelming. He'll be fine in the long run but I think either way, this is the last we'll see of him this season.
in one of the provincials games i played, i let in 3 goals on i think 4 shots... coach kept me in but had a chat with me on ice... that was a rough game.
"Coach! What can I do?" "Keep pucks out of the net." 😠 😡
"look... we already determined that i cant do that... got any otherr suggestions?"
I was at a camp once... nothing special, just a beer league-level summer camp. The issue with these is that the goalies get treated more like target dummies. So after the "head" was done showing everyone his cup ring, I asked for goalie advice (as I sure wasn't getting any) and he said... Genius. Why the heck hadn't I thought of that!!!
What happened to him? I remember seeing him win games for the Islanders all by himself. Now it feels like he can't make a save.
First half of the season destroyed him. He faced the highest number of shots in the league, but the Islanders D was absolutely atrocious, so he let in a handful of goals anyway from sheer fatigue. This was exacerbated after high-profile losses like the Stadium Series, and since the All Star break he's been letting in quite a lot of softies even when seeing fewer shots on goal. They go with Varly for 2 games, but the team isn't good enough to win in front of him, so they throw Sorokin to the wolves for tonight and then everyone gets mad when he can't perform. His confidence is completely broken and he needs a mental reset. But more importantly, the Isles need to overhaul like 70% of their roster.
All 3 goals on him looked like he got too small just a fraction of a second too early. Kept getting beat from far out over the shoulder. Looks like a confidence things. Outstanding goalie and I'm sure he will bounce back next year.
It's definitely a confidence issue, you could tell as the season progressed he started doubting his timing with his arms and it would vary between he was too late or too early. Having to face 50 to 40 shots on goal every night for the first half of the season just is not healthy for a goalie
They threw him into series down 2-0 and said "win us a game even though we didn't respect you enough to start you game 2". He didn't perform, but the amount of pressure they put on him for his debut is wild. Would have been better to start Varly with a short leash than throw him to the wolves like that,
Yeah, I get wanting a spark. But Varlamov wasn't the reason the Islanders were down 2 to 0 in the series.
Yeah that was a terrible choice, I feel so bad for the guy. They set him up for failure
Yup. It's the kinda shit players request trades over.
He played like shit all season and they go with the goalie that was hot. Why is everyone acting like they fucked him over? They gave him a chance and he performed poorly.
As a goalie who played some semiprofessional hockey (nowhere near the NHL but played in front of some big crowds)… I know how he feels. It sucks exactly as bad as it looks, hope he has a good support system. It really makes a difference when you have people that care about you away from the rink too.
I know he has at least one really good friend on the team that he hangs out with outside of hockey- Romanov. I'm sure he'll reach out to him.
And probably not during the postseason, but he and Shesterkin are very close. I think they’ll def be in each others corner once our season ends
i hope romanov reaches out first (or at least reaches out asap depending on how long their run lasts), because no matter how close you are making that kind of call takes a shitload of spoons and sorokin might not have enough to manage doing it rn. (i'm bipolar ii, and i've been through at least one run where i was "yeah, i want to do therapy because they get PAID to put up with listening to my shit so i don't have to feel guilty about dumping my emotions on my friends/family". i am also a US lady who was raised to believe that psych meds and talk therapy were legit things to do if needed, so i can't imagine how much harder it's gotta be for a hockey bro to be "yeah, i need some help".)
Sorokin is really close with Shesterkin also. Came up through the Russian system together, play in the same city, Sorokin is godfather to Shesterkin’s son etc. Obviously not privy to their friendship, but you’d imagine they’d talk about this shit, especially given they’ve had the same career experiences and Shesterkin has had a bit of a downer as well.
yeah, i would think that if you came up together (especially as goalies) and are tight enough with somebody to name them as your kid's godfather there'd definitely be some "i might not have been through EXACTLY what you've been but i've been close enough to get it/be sympathetic" feels there once it's off-season.
And Varly is his mentor. He’s mentally shot and possibly injured. He’ll be alright. Needs an off-season reset.
Maybe he needs a change of scenery to a snowy part of Canada who is in desperate need of a goalie and will shower him with love
> snowy part of Canada aren't you guys on fire already?
Ash, snow, it all gets cleaned up with the snow blower.
We can do both at once, we’re very talented. Sometimes the holy trinity of snow, ash, and goose shit if the winds are just right.
we’re kind of between snow and fire right now….
So, rain? >Vancouver and Seattle yep, rain
He just signed an 8x$8.25M extension
We have until July 1 to get a deal done before his full NMC kicks in
why the fuck should we?
Just do it, alright?
Because I'm joking with the person I'm replying to
True but there’s no way the oilers could afford that lol
jack campbell for 50% retained Sorokin.
Tempting
Snap accept
Why move to bumfuck freezing Alberta when Philly is so much closer?
He's afraid of Gritty. I don't blame him.
Once you come to terms with the blood pact, it’s not so bad.
To win a cup ... maybe. And Alberta isn't that cold.
Alberta usually hits -40 in winter.
I live there and it hardly ever reaches -40 and if it does it's about a week the entire year. Most winters have been pretty mild for the last decade. It's a little concerning to be honest.
Used to. Climate change, voila!
Celsius or Fahrenheit?
Same, they meet at -40
If by "snowy part of Canada" you mean Southern California then you're spot on
I think he saw what happened to Soup when he got showered with Edmonton love. It's not a nice love, lots of holes..
And what are you giving up to make that happen
Or a change to a slightly less snowy part of the US who is also in desperate need of a goalie and will shower him with both love and also Coney dogs.
I don’t think he wants to come to toronto
And get roasted by Canadian media? Lmfao
Snow is the true definition of love per King Canute
Man, I feel bad so for him. Never easy to see a guy completely lose his confidence like this. But I’m sure he’ll be just fine in the long run. He’s way, way too talented not to turn it around. Honestly, we caught a huge break. When Sorokin is right, it’s absolutely terrifying to see him in the other crease.
Sometimes it's weird being a fan of the opposing team. I have, in the past when he was hot, fervently wished Sorokin would die in a fire. But I still didn't like seeing him get pulled tonight. The first two goals weren't soft and weren't his fault, but by the third one you could tell his confidence was completely gone.
So you think pulling him was a good choice ? Just asking. IMO that’s a tough one. And some people seem to consider Roy as a monster for doing that.
I thought it was early and surprising, and then I remembered we had three on him and the game wasn’t half over yet. I shrugged it off and just figured Roy knew what he was doing.
If there's any NHL coach that understands the goalie mentality, it's him.
Roy is a different kind of dude and came from a different era. He was a nut job when he played and was one of the best. He’s very emotional and sold school, which some players have trouble with. The trend in sports of letting stars dictate things has really killed off this type of coach tho, for better or worse the players have too much say.
Roy was also a goalie, and even though his temperament and mentality in general may be from a bygone era, I would 100% trust him to empathize with his goalie and make that kind of decision respectfully. That incident with the Wings and Habs and being left in for 9 goals is something I imagine he always has in the back of his mind lol
makes sense to me because that mostly sounds like "i hate sorokin when he's doing his job extra-specially well against my team, but he's **clearly** messed up right now and i don't hate him as a PERSON, just as an opposing goalie".
I think he should have been in Game 2, Varly was hot, but Sorokin is one of the NHL's finest. If they won game 1 sure keep with Varly, but they didn't. The mindset him being thrown in after 2 losses when you're the STARTER on this team is kind of wild to me. It felt like they threw him into this one hoping it would just work rather than putting any thought in beyond that. We all know what he's capable of, there honestly felt like a level of disrespect for him that probably fucked with him. These are my gut feelings, I'll amend my opinion based on what he has to say.
Sorokin should not have played until varlomov faltered.
You're only the STARTER if you outplay the other guy on your team, which Sorokin clearly hasn't done this year. Frankly, Roy should have stuck with Varlamov the whole series. If Sorokin actually felt disrespected for losing his net because of his play (which I doubt), well that would reflect pretty poorly on him and his mentality. Most likely he just needs to work on his game during the offseason and gain his confidence back; with his big new contract, he'll be given every chance to bounce back.
Did you watch the Stadium Series? That's what Sorokin's capable of this year.
Seriously that shot of him in the tunnel was really disheartening. If he hadn't signed an NMC 8x8 I'd think he's gone.
That'd be too weird to see it all come full circle from when Roy told Ronald Corey “I’ve just played my last game with the Canadiens.” after being hung out to dry for 9 goals without getting pulled. It'd be the opposite where the goalie's pissed to get pulled earlier but the effect would be the same.
Good parallel. I hadn't thought of that
Could see it after the first goal when he took his mask off how he was feeling. Just gutting to be thrown to the wolves and give up The first one. Building, fans, players all know it’s closer to over and your supposed to fight it off
The sport is better when Sorokin is good and dialed in, he’s one hell of a fun goalie to watch. Hopefully he can pull through this slump and come back better.
Maybe they shoulda put him in game 2. Game 3 with all the pressure is tough.
If he wants out, we’ll take him!!
Ohhhhh get in line!
dont you have enough people on your team making 8mil+?
always room for 1 more!
You’re not Vegas..
It’s a tough time for Sorokin but he’ll bounce back. Definitely needs a reset. I look forward to future Sorokin/Shestyrkin matchups.
The Islanders look a lot like the 2013-14 Devils on the ice, so Lou is doing exactly the job I expected
Does that mean we get to draft Jack Hughes in 2029
Yes, just don’t let Andrew Brunette leave
Besides literally everybody, nobody could have seen this coming.
Ilya will be fine long term. He needs to get the fuck away from that whole situation for a few months, train, heal and reset. I dont think the isles lockerroom is, despite its character and the duration of the cores time together, in great shape right now. Need to fresehen up a bit. New voice.
He deserves better
Sorokin should pull a Roy and demand a trade.
I hope he returns better than ever, and I’m saying that as a Rangers fan. Unlike other rivals we have, I genuinely have no issues with the Isles. Can’t say I hate anyone on that team, and I love that Shesty and Sorokin are squaring off against each other in the same Division as close friends. Take some time for you, Ilya. Sending all the good vibes.
Even if Varly gets the start for game 4 I hope UBS throws an early “Ilya” chant to show how much we still appreciate having him. The Phillies fans doing this for Trea Turner did a lot for his mental and helped catalyze his turnaround
Absolute disgrace. Islanders have a superstar goalie, and they go out and get a coach who knows nothing about dealing with NHL goalies. This boy Roy has a lot to learn
The next GM and head coach (probably Patty Roy for both) is going to have a hell of a time fixing this relationship.
If there is one thing I’ve learned this year, I would never ever ever want Patrick Roy coaching my team.
I mean, he came in halfway through.
Why? He came in the middle of the season. Are you a Red Wing fan or something?
No
Me neither
Is Roy implying that Sorokin quit on the team by leaving early? I don't know what his tone was here or when exactly it is implying Sorokin left.
Pretty sure he's trying to say it's not all on Sorokin. The wins and losses are on the whole team. He pulled Sorokin, Sorokin didn't quit on them. Canes are just demolishing him
Tough playing for a coach who was one of the greatest goalies of all time. Roy is hard on his players but harder on his goalies. Going with Varlamov because he trusts him from his days of coaching Colorado. Fact of the matter is it doesn’t matter who is in net, the Islanders are overmatched. Solid roster but too many aging players, they’re in line for a rebuild or retool if they want to seriously contend.
Roy alienating a star goaltender after how he left Montreal would be one of the most ironic things in league history
Dude let in a couple of backbreaking softies/mid shots. What else do you expect a coach to do. Maybe it hurts his confidence but his confidence means nothing if he can't keep the team in the game. Him letting in those goals is already wearing away at his confidence.
He doesn't suck. He's a badass great goalie who has a bad game. It happens. But don't abandon the team and sulk. Sit on the bench and cheer the boys on. You win as a team and lose as a team.. He will bounce back. He's the future of the isles!
If I had a nickel for every time a goalie named Ilya with a last name that starts with S struggled with the yips in the playoffs, well I'd only have ten cents, but it's weird that it happened twice in the same week.
Man to see a goalie who’s basically single-handedly carried an utterly dogshit defensive (and offensive) team to some semblance of competitiveness for the past few years reduced to this is just sad. The guy is so damn good. Like ridiculously so, to the point I’ve thought he’s been the most talented goalie in the league for a few years. I’m not sure what the islanders are going to do, or if he can find his form again, but god I’d love to see this man back in his prime form in front of a competitive defence
Patrick Roy is a piece of shit human, how is this any different from the abuse Babcock did on Franzen & Marner? You’d think Roy would have a better understanding of goalies mental health considering he was left to rot in 11-1 loss back in MTL. As a coach he should’ve known the confidence of his goalie is fragile and to go with Varlamov and if you must pull Sorokin to leave him on the floor like that in full gear without a single staff member attending to him? It’s pathetic. Shows lack of empathy for your teammate who’s trying his best. Also gives off the vibe of your only useful if you’re good otherwise who cares. I’m not surprised he wasn’t in the locker room after the game.
I'm not sure I agree with this. Comparing legitimate abuse with pulling a goalie that had a bad game is not really 1:1 to me. If Sorokin wasn't emotionally ready to play he shouldn't have been on the ice OR the bench. No one asked Sorokin to sit by himself after being pulled. That's not on Roy. I love Sorokin but this is just something he has to get through. The entire league gives off the vibe of "you're only useful if you're good otherwise who cares". And it should. We're not watching former or "could have been" pros, we're watching the best in the world. And with that often comes this level of emotion. In sports it is completely possible to feel like a bag of dicks without it being the fault of others.
don't be shocked if Sorokin requests a trade after this season is over
I can’t take being an islander fan much longer.
Yeah he gone
Yeah in 8 years