Five years ago, in May, a rookie Ilya Sorokin broke out nationally for the New York Islanders in their first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Sorokin went 4-0 in the series, with just sparkling numbers. He posted a goals against average of 1.95 and a save percentage of .943, leading the Islanders into the second round.
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Sorokin’s magnum opus came in Game 5, when the Penguins had the home crowd in PPG Paints Arena rocking. The Penguins totally blitzed the Islanders.
The second period saw the Penguins rifle 20 shots on goal, yet they only came up with one tally, which kept the score at 2-1 and well within reach for the Islanders.
The onslaught didn’t stop early in the third. The Penguins pushed hard for an insurance tally, but Sorokin kept everything out.
The shots read 37-14 with 11:30 to play in the third. Sorokin was all but perfect.
Then, Jean-Gabriel Pageau threw a big hit and knocked the puck to Leo Komarov. Komarov found Jordan Eberle all alone in front, and he outwaited Tristan Jarry, tying the game.
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The Islanders and Sorokin never looked back. Sorokin made more herculean-like saves in overtime, all leading to Josh Bailey’s famous 2OT winner.
Enjoy the highlights from Game 5, almost entirely a Sorokin highlight reel:
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