Ilya Sorokin stopped 41 shots to buy the New York Islanders time to find their game on the way to a 3-0 shutout of the New York Rangers in the longtime rivals’ only meeting on Long Island this season.
Sorokin kept the game scoreless through a leaky first period, which allowed Kyle Palmieri’s second period goal to create hope, while Josh Bailey and Palmieri’s third-period goals made for a comfortable and festive final frame.
They were the first goals of the season for both forwards — for Bailey, it came in what would have been his 1,000th game but for the recent healthy scratch — though I’m not sure the game was an endorsement of the Isles’ latest line shuffle.