SALT LAKE CITY — The Islanders’ disaster scenario came to pass on Saturday.
With Semyon Varlamov out with a lower-body injury, Ilya Sorokin fell ill and was unavailable for the match against Utah Hockey Club.
That left the Isles scrambling, with Marcus Hogberg in net and Jakob Skarek being recalled from Bridgeport on an emergency basis.
New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) makes a save against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period at T-Mobile Arena on Jan 9, 2025. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConRight when the Islanders were looking to build their first three-game winning streak of the season after playing terrific hockey in a 4-0 win over Vegas on Thursday, it was something close to the opposite of what they needed.
Skarek did not arrive in Utah on time for the morning skate, so the backup goalie when the Islanders took the ice at 11:30 mountain time was Utah’s emergency backup goalie.
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Hogberg, who’s been with the Islanders since Varlamov got hurt in late November, had started just one game going into Saturday — a 3-2 loss in Pittsburgh on Dec. 28.
He’s seen game time on two other occasions, both in relief, stopping 55 of 58 shots in total.
“I thought that he had really good reads,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. “The game against Pittsburgh, I thought he was moving well. We gave up a lot of shots and I thought he basically gave us a chance to come back in that game. Made it a 3-2 game when we pulled the goalie with about seven minutes left in the game. What I’m saying here is he gave us a chance to stay in that game and I thought he made some very good saves.
New York Islanders goaltender Marcus Hogberg (50) returns to the net against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con“He was square, I thought he played simple. I think that’s how he’s gonna have some success.”
Roy said that Sorokin started feeling sick on Friday and the club made Hogberg aware they might need him to start.
Hogberg was the only Islander to skate Friday on what was otherwise an off day for the club, taking shots from goalie coach Piero Greco at Delta Center.
Alexander Romanov was a game-time decision against Utah with an undisclosed issue.
Romanov left the ice early during morning skate and appeared to be grimacing before going up the tunnel.
Roy declined to answer whether he was also ill or dealing with an injury.
Since Skarek was an emergency recall, the Islanders were allowed to keep Grant Hutton on the roster as their seventh defenseman.
Hutton, however, did not skate Saturday morning, as clarity on the roster size did not come until it was too late.
