Sorokin gave up four goals on 25 shots in the Islanders loss to the Jets on Monday. He was giving Thursday night off and David Rittich turned in an excellent performance, but they will go back to Sorokin this afternoon in Ottawa. Sorokin has allowed four goals in all three of his starts this season, going 0-3-0 with a 4.18 GAA and .854 SV%.
The winless Islanders (0-3-0) will hope for a better result on Thursday, turning to Rittich for his Islanders debut season in a meeting with the Edmonton Oilers. The 33-year-old Rittich was serviceable in two seasons as the Los Angeles Kings' backup goalie, posting a 2.55 GAA and .902 SV% in 58 combined games (29-20-5). Rittich has played reasonably well in his career against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, posting a 2.68 GAA and .906 SV% in 14 appearances (5-5-1).
With Jonathan Drouin returning from a one-game suspension, Gatcomb will head to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 26-year-old Gatcomb made his season debut on Saturday, playing 8:33 time-on-ice and recording seven hits.
Drouin had an impressive start to his tenure with the Islanders, scoring a goal before being ejected from the game with a major penalty and a game misconduct. He was suspended for one game and will return to the lineup on October 13th against the Winnipeg Jets.
Ritchie was acquired before last season's trade deadline as part of a deal that sent Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche. The 20-year-old Ritchie has not yet made his regular-season debut with the Islanders and will have to wait a while longer as he is set to begin his 2025-26 campaign in the AHL after returning from a lower-body injury.
Searching for their first victory of the 2025-26 season (0-2-0), the Islanders will roll with Sorokin for a third straight game. The 30-year-old Sorokin is coming off a disappointing season in which he posted a 2.71 GAA and .907 SV% in 60 games (30-24-6). Through two games this season (0-2-0), the veteran goalie has a 4.21 GAA and .860 SV%; not promising numbers for a goalie hoping to return to the 2.34 GAA and .924 SV% he posted in 2022-23, when he finished as the runner-up for the Vezina Trophy. The Islanders enter Monday's contest as +111 home underdogs against the Winnipeg Jets.
Drouin had an impressive start to his tenure with the Islanders, scoring a goal before being ejected from the game with a major penalty and a game misconduct. He will be eligible to return to the lineup on October 13th against the Winnipeg Jets.
After posting elite totals in his first three NHL seasons, Sorokin has posted a 2.86 GAA and .908 SV% in 117 combined appearances over the last two seasons (55-43-18); a steep decline from the 2.34 GAA and .924 SV% in his previous 136 games (70-46-18). Although still a talented netminder, Sorokin's recent stats are likely more aligned with what can be expected in the 2025-26 season. Still, the Islanders enter their season-opening matchup on Thursday as -127 road favourites against a Pittsburgh Penguins team coming off a 3-0 opening-night victory over the New York Rangers.
The Islanders signed Bear to a one-year contract in the offseason to provide some depth on their blueline, but he will need to wait to make his team debut as he will be sidelined for a few weeks on Injured Reserve. The 28-year-old Bear spent the entirety of the 2024-25 season in the AHL, tallying 46 points (10G / 36A) in 62 games with the Hershey Bears. He has 67 points (17G / 50A) in 275 career NHL games.
Coming off offseason surgery, it's unclear when Varlamov will return to action, but he will start the 2025-26 campaign sidelined on the Injured Reserve. The 37-year-old netminder was limited to only 10 games last season (3-4-3), posting a 2.89 GAA and .889 SV%, due to various injuries.
Engvall continues to recover from offseason hip surgery and is not expected to be ready for opening night, so expect him to start the season on IR. Once healthy, Engvall will likely once again be battling for playing time in the Islanders' bottom-6.
Ritchie was acquired before last season's trade deadline as part of a deal that sent Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche. The 20-year-old Ritchie has not yet made his regular-season debut with the Islanders and will likely have to wait a while longer, as he will likely not be ready for their season opener next week.
Lee is expected to miss the majority of training camp with an upper-body injury, but is still likely to be ready for the start of the Islanders' Regular season on October 9th vs. Pittsburgh. The Islanders' 35-year-old captain will be expected to play a large role in New York's offence yet again this season, after putting. up 29 goals, 54 points and 233 SOG in 82 games played.
Prokhorov was the Islanders' 2025 2nd round pick (42nd overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with New York. The 18-year-old Russian winger improved his draft stock in 2024-25 after a solid 20-goal, 27-point campaign with MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg (MHL) across 43 games played. He is expected to remain in Russia with Dynamo Moskva (KHL) on loan for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
Schaefer was this year's first overall selection in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Islanders on Monday. The 17-year-old missed the majority of the 2024-25 season due to a serious collarbone injury but still managed to go first overall in the draft due to his five goals and 22 points in 18 games with Erie (OHL). He is expected to be a key part of the Islanders' future for years to come.
New York and Maxim Tsyplakov avoided arbitration on Friday after they announced a two-year contract extension worth $4.5 million ($2.25 million AAV) for the Russian forward. The 26-year-old made his NHL debut last season after signing out of the KHL and succeeded in his first taste of the big leagues with 10 goals, 35 points, and 39 PIMs in 77 games played. He is expected to take on a bigger role in his second season with the Islanders in 2025-26.
Gatcomb split the 2024-25 season between the AHL and NHL. During his time with the Islanders, he had nine points (8G / 1A) and 149 hits in 39 games. He'll be a fringe roster player for them in 2025-26 and could end up back in the AHL to begin the season.
