WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Islanders’ goaltender rotation will take its first spin of 2021-22 this weekend.
But before Semyon Varlamov gets his first start of the season against the Wild in Minnesota on Sunday night, Ilya Sorokin got the nod for the ninth time in a row Saturday against the Jets at Canada Life Centre and made the most of it.
Sorokin beat the Jets, 2-0, extending the Islanders’ point streak to seven games and ending the Jets’ at eight. The Islanders now are 5-2-2 in their season-opening stretch of 13 road games. Sorokin made 24 saves in his third shutout of the season.
At 3:12 of the first period, Anders Lee buried a pass from Josh Bailey after both Mathew Barzal and Bailey had done hard work behind the net to set up their captain in front.
The Islanders had six of the first seven shots on goal, but the one for the Jets was a doozy, on which Nikolaj Ehlers was alone in front but was stopped by Sorokin.
Barzal nearly made it 2-0 off another nice pass from Bailey about midway through the first, but Winnipeg goalie Eric Comrie turned it away.
The Jets' Mark Scheifele (6-3-2) fired wide when offered a wide-open net as Sorokin went sprawling early in the second.
The Jets continued to have the better opportunities, keeping Sorokin busy. With about three minutes left, the puck found Blake Wheeler in front of the Islanders goalie off a funny bounce. His shot caromed off the crossbar.
Brock Nelson made it 2-0 47 seconds into the third, beating Comrie stick side. It was his fifth goal in two games.
Barzal had a clean breakaway later in the period, but his shot hit the crossbar.
After the morning skate, coach Barry Trotz confirmed Varlamov would play his first game this season either here or against the Wild on Sunday. Then he called upon Sorokin first.
Varlamov has not played since Game 7 of last season’s semifinals against the Lightning because of an ailment the team has not explained in detail.
He pronounced himself ready to go on Oct. 28, but with the Islanders going through a sparse stretch of games and Sorokin playing well, Trotz held off until this weekend.
The long opening stretch also allowed Sorokin to get even more acclimated to the North American game after a strong rookie season in 2020-21, in which he started 21 of 56 regular-season games.
And remember, Sorokin only faced divisional opponents last season. Now he is getting experience with the full array of NHL opponents and rinks.
The question for Varlamov is how long he will need to shake off the rust. He said on Oct. 28 that he was not sure himself how things would go.
Does it make any difference to the players in front of them which goalie starts, simply as a matter of style or communication?
"Honestly, not really," defenseman Ryan Pulock said. "They’re pretty similar. They bring that calmness to us, both of them. We rely on them, and they keep us in games every night."
Sorokin presumably will be the No. 1 goalie of the near future, if not the present, but having Varlamov around to mentor him and carry a share of the load is a plus.
Asked what goes into deciding the order in which the goalies will appear in a back-to-back situation, Trotz said there are a variety of factors, including goalies’ records against opponents and the way the schedule flows.
"If a guy is in rhythm," Trotz said, "we try to keep him in the rhythm."
Sorokin is in one. Varlamov will get his first opportunity to get into one on Sunday night.
