The Islanders’ white whale arrived in the NHL on Saturday night.
After Semyon Varlamov took a puck in his throat during the warm-up, Ilya Sorokin made his NHL debut in the Islanders 5-0 defeat at Madison Square Garden 2,934 days after the organization called him to 78th overall in 2014.
Coach Barry Trotz did not have an immediate update on Varlamov, who posted an exclusion against Rangers at the opening of Thursday’s season. Cory Schneider served as a reserve just a day after officially signing his one-year contract with the Islanders.
While the Islanders have been waiting patiently for 25-year-old Sorokin to be ready for the NHL, Trotz made it clear that Sorokin’s debut was not in the circumstances they expected.
“We hung it up to dry,” said Trotz in a call from Zoom after the loss.
Trotz also noted that “it was not acceptable” for Varlamov to be injured during warm-ups, adding that he was unfair to Sorokin.
In the first period, Sorokin, 25, conceded two goals to compatriot Pavel Buchnevich and Artemi Panarin in the first 10 shots he faced. He ended the night with 27 saves in 32 shots.
“I know [him] a lot, ”said Alexandar Georgiev of Sorokin last week. “We worked together in the National Team for a few years. Incredible goal, a great guy. I have good things about him, obviously. I think he’s a great goalkeeper. “
Tony DeAngelo was a healthy scratch for Rangers in Saturday’s rematch against the Islanders.
The Rangers defender skated with the taxi team on Friday after being called in for unsportsmanlike conduct one minute and five seconds in the third period of Thursday’s 4-0 loss to the Islands. DeAngelo, who has been a healthy problem before under David Quinn for what the Rangers coach described as “maturity problems”, slammed the penalty box door open and opened his mouth to the referees after committing a penalty.
“Listen, there are a lot of things going on that we’re going to keep at home, and this is one of them,” said Quinn ahead of Saturday’s contest at Madison Square Garden. “Tony and I talked about this. There is clarity about what happened here. It was the right thing to do and he will be back on the schedule soon. “
Asked if he would scratch any other players in the squad if he behaved the way DeAngelo did on Thursday, Quinn said he would and that he had nothing to do with being a repeat offender in DeAngelo.
“It would have happened to any player, it has nothing to do with Tony,” he said.
After a slow start to their first NHL game on Thursday, rookies K’Andre Miller and Alexis Lafreniere seemed to settle into the rhythm of the professional level in Saturday’s victory.
“They both played a much better hockey game, they played arrogantly, I mean, they weren’t intimidated,” said Rangers coach David Quinn. “It’s a difficult team to play, we play against them. It’s a man’s game every time you play against the Islanders and for these two guys to step forward and not be intimidated and play with the passion and arrogance with which they played, that’s a big sign for us. “
Buchnevich tied his career record in a single game with two goals and three points in victory. He also led all skaters with five shots on goal and had a rating of two more.