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The Islanders’ white whale burst into the NHL on Saturday night.
After Semyon Varlamov took a throat puck during warm-ups, Ilya Sorokin made his NHL debut in the Islanders’ 5-0 loss to Madison Square Garden 2,934 days after the organization drafted him 78th in the total in 2014.
Head coach Barry Trotz did not have an immediate update on Varlamov, who managed a shutout against Rangers in Thursday’s season opener. Cory Schneider served as a replacement just a day after officially signing his one-year contract with the Islanders.
As the Islanders patiently waited for 25-year-old Sorokin to be NHL-ready, Trotz made it clear that Sorokin’s debut was not in the circumstances they had hoped for.
“We put it out to dry,” Trotz said on a Zoom call after the loss.
Trotz also noted that it was “not acceptable” that Varlamov was injured during warm-ups, adding that it was unfair to Sorokin.
In the first half, Sorokin, 25, allowed compatriot Pavel Buchnevich and Artemi Panarin two goals in the first 10 shots he faced. He finished the night with 27 saves on 32 shots.
“I know [him] a little, ”said Alexandar Georgiev of Sorokin last week. “We worked together in the national team a few years ago. Awesome goal a great guy. I have good things to say about it, of course. I think he’s a great goalie.
Tony DeAngelo was a healthy scratch for the Rangers in Saturday’s rematch against the Islanders.
The Rangers defenseman skated with the taxi team on Friday after being called out for unsportsmanlike conduct one minute and five seconds into the third period of Thursday’s 4-0 loss to the Isles. DeAngelo, who was once healthy under David Quinn for what the Rangers head coach described as “maturity issues”, slammed the door to the penalty area and opened his mouth to the referees after committed a penalty.
“Look, there’s just a lot of stuff we’re going to keep in-house, and that’s one of them,” Quinn said ahead of Saturday’s contest at Madison Square Garden. “Tony and I talked about it. There is clarity on what happened here. It was the right thing to do and he will be back in training soon.
When asked if he would flay another player in the roster if he behaved like DeAngelo on Thursday, Quinn replied that he would and that had nothing to do with him being ‘was a repeat offender in DeAngelo.
“It would have happened with any player, it has nothing to do with Tony,” he said.
After slow starts in their first NHL game on Thursday, rookies K’Andre Miller and Alexis Lafreniere appeared to settle into pro-level rhythm in Saturday’s shutout victory.
“They both played a much better game of hockey, they played with swagger, I mean they weren’t intimidated,” said Rangers coach David Quinn. “It’s a tough team to play, we played them. It’s a man’s game every time you play against the Islanders and these two players come forward without being intimidated and playing with the passion and swagger that they have played with is a great sign for we.
Buchnevich tied his career highs in one game with two goals and three points in the win. He also led all skaters with five shots on goal and had a plus two rating.
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