Until recently, the Islanders had two goaltenders they could feel confident in. 

Of late, though, neither have looked up to par. 

Ilya Sorokin had a second straight rough outing against the Wild on Sunday, stopping just 17 of 21 shots in a 4-3 loss. Five days earlier against the Flyers, he turned aside just 14 of 17, his second-worst game of the season by save percentage. 

Though none of the goals Sunday night came on an egregious mistake, the Islanders still came away with a loss despite doing a good job of limiting shots after a poor opening five minutes. 

“I’m concerned about every aspect of our game,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. “I’m not too concerned [about Sorokin]. I’m sure this is part of the whole process for him. Not every game he’s gonna have a .930 save percentage.” 

Semyon Varlamov, too, has made a couple uncharacteristic mistakes lately. He let in goals right at the end of periods against the Maple Leafs and Kings, both moments crushing the Islanders’ momentum in recent games they went on to lose. 

For much of the season, defense and goaltending have been the Isles’ calling card, helping them keep from drowning as their offense has struggled. Since Varlamov’s return from injury, the Isles have rotated the two Russians in net, though Trotz said before Sunday’s game that he may start going with the hot hand after the All-Star break.

“We had so many breaks that I really felt that we needed both goalies going through this stretch but also needed both goalies coming out of the stretch when we had this next break that we’re ready to go,” Trotz said. “If I had my preference, I’ll probably lean to the guy that’s hot now going forward for the most part.” 

Right now, though, neither are hot. 

And goaltending made a difference in a bad way on Sunday, when Kaapo Kahkonen came up with 40 saves for the Wild to hold a lead when the Islanders came with an onslaught late in the game. 

“It’s what the game brings sometimes,” Trotz said. “You look at every sport. The good players will have a game that they’d like to have back or a play they’d like to have back. You gotta trust that they’re good players and they are. [Sorokin’s] an exceptional goaltender.” 

Casey Cizikas missed Sunday’s game with a non-COVID illness. Ross Johnston took his place in the lineup, playing on the third line while Zach Parise centered Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck on the fourth line. 

Johnston played 18:18 and scored his first goal since Dec. 27, 2019 on a second period breakaway. 

“My game’s pretty simple,” Johnston said. “Get in, make hits, sometimes opportunities present themselves. No matter when I’m in, I like to keep my game simple.” 

The Islanders honored late owner Charles Wang with a tribute video during the second period, announcing a plaque dedicated to Wang in the main concourse of UBS Arena. 

Sunday was the first game at UBS Arena without an announced sellout, with 15,518 in attendance. 

Mat Barzal led the Islanders with 24:04 time on ice, his third-highest mark of the season.