ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Islanders didn’t have top playmaker Mathew Barzal, and perhaps won’t for a while. But they had goalie Ilya Sorokin, and they got a focused performance across their lineup less than 24 hours after coach Barry Trotz said his players spent too much time guessing defensively in their previous game.
Sunday night’s 4-0 win over the Ducks at Honda Center in the penultimate game of their five-game road trip showcased the type of play the Islanders just have not gotten consistently enough this season. It stood in stark contrast with Saturday night’s 5-2 loss to the Kings.
Sorokin made 34 saves for his fifth shutout this season as the Islanders (20-21-8) finished with a 5-5-2 mark in February. They are 17 points behind the Capitals for the final wild-card spot, and merely playing .500 hockey will leave them out of the playoffs for the first time in Trotz’s four seasons as their coach.
