Ilya Sorokin stopped all 49 shots he faced Wednesday night and Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored a short-handed goal and a power play goal within a span of a little more than two minutes early in the second period for the New York Islanders, who beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-0 in Elmont, N.Y.
The 49 saves were a career-high for Sorokin and the most by an Islanders goalie in a shutout since Jaroslav Halak stopped 50 shots in a 3-0 win over the New York Rangers on Feb. 15, 2018.
The shutout was the 12th of Sorokin’s three-year career.
Sebastian Aho scored later in the second for the Islanders, who killed five penalties while winning their second straight and improving to 11-4-0 since a season-long three-game losing streak from Oct. 20-23.
Goalie Jack Campbell made 28 saves for the Oilers, who have lost two straight and seven of 10 (3-7-0).
The Islanders outshot the Oilers 12-9 in a scoreless first before Pageau delivered his 1-2 punch.
Following Anthony Beauvillier’s slashing penalty, the Oilers appeared to be threatening before Adam Pelech got his stick on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ pass intended for Connor McDavid deep in the Islanders’ zone. Zach Parise helped cap the end-to-end rush by passing to Pageau, who put his stick down just before reaching the crease and flicked the puck past Campbell at the 4:33 mark — and just 22 seconds after Beauvillier headed to the penalty box.
Edmonton’s Tyson Barrie was whistled for holding to set up what amounted to an own goal for the Oilers just 2:06 later. Mathew Barzal passed to Pageau, who sent an odd-angled pass into the crease to Anders Lee. But the puck glanced off the stick of Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard, who was behind Lee, and fluttered into the net.
The Islanders added an even-strength goal thanks to an impressive second effort by Oliver Wahlstrom, who appeared to have a shot at a semi-breakaway down the right side of the ice before Oilers defenseman Brett Kulak jabbed at Wahlstrom and slowed him down. But Wahlstrom controlled the puck and skated around the back of the net before passing to Aho, who fired a shot beyond Campbell’s glove with 3:04 left in the period.
The Oilers outshot the Islanders 23-8 in the third, when Sorokin made 11 saves during a trio of Edmonton power plays.
–Field Level Media
