The Islanders find themselves in as close to a must-win as a team could be, trailing 2-1 in the series against the Penguins with game four at the Nassau Coliseum on Saturday.
With the season potentially on the line, head coach Barry Trotz is making a change between the pipes.
Rookie Ilya Sorokin, who helped New York to an overtime win in game one, will get the start on Saturday after Semyon Varlamov struggled in game three’s loss at home. Sorokin, 25, will be making his second career postseason start.
Varlamov missed the series opener after suffering a lower body injury in the Islanders’ regular season finale, but returned in game two and made 43 saves on 45 shots in a 2-1 loss, with both Pittsburgh goals coming in the first period. He was less efficient in game three, stopping 22 of 27 shots in a 5-4 loss. The Islanders put home game-tying goals on three different occasions in game three, but the Penguins took the lead back each time within two and a half minutes, beating Varlamov right away to continuously regain control.
Trotz told reporters on Friday that Varlamov’s performance in game three would be heavily considered when making his decision on a starting goalie for game four. Now, the rookie Sorokin will be back in net for the most important game of the Islanders season.
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