Islanders Prepare for Flyers with Sorokin in Goal; Practice Notes from Thursday

After a much-needed off day following back-to-back losses, the New York Islanders returned to the practice rink on Thursday, gearing up for their Friday night clash against the Philadelphia Flyers. This matchup marks the first leg of the Islanders’ penultimate back-to-back of the season, as they will head to Raleigh to face the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.

However, the Islanders will take the ice without key players, defenseman Tony DeAngelo and forward Simon Holmstrom. DeAngelo has been sidelined with a lower-body injury sustained while backchecking against the Chicago Blackhawks during a 4-3 defeat on March 24 and has yet to skate. His recovery timeline is estimated at 1-2 weeks. Holmstrom, on the other hand, suffered an upper-body injury early in an 8-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins but managed to finish that game. Unfortunately, he was unavailable for Tuesday’s narrow 4-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

Head coach Patrick Roy provided no updates on the status of either player, confirming that their conditions remain unchanged. On a positive note, he mentioned that forward Anders Lee, who missed practice for maintenance purposes, is set to return.

With Lee, Holmstrom, and DeAngelo absent, the Islanders’ practice lines saw Maxim Shabanov stepping in for Lee. The revised lines featured Shabanov alongside Horvat and Heineman, while Duclair, Schenn, and Barzal formed another trio. The complete lineup included Palat, Pageau, Ritchie, MacLean, Cizikas, Gatcomb, and Schaefer, with the defensive pairings of Pelech, Soucy, and Mayfield, Boqvist. Romanov and George were the extras, while goaltenders Sorokin and Rittich were in net.

When asked about the decision to move Calum Ritchie off Brayden Schenn’s line, Roy explained his rationale: “It’s just the fact that Barzy & Duke played well together earlier this season, scored some goals. I think Cal playing with Pager and Ondrej is a good fit for them.” This strategy aims to enhance their scoring potential as they face a crucial stretch of the season.

In net, Ilya Sorokin will start against the Flyers, marking his fifth consecutive start and tenth straight appearance. Sorokin has been a consistent performer, boasting a record of 12-3-3 with a remarkable 1.53 GAA and a .946 save percentage against Philadelphia. The Islanders will look to him to anchor their defense as they face off against the Flyers at 7 PM ET.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.