Sorokin makes 34 saves, Islanders shut out Ducks

ANAHEIM -- Ilya Sorokin made 34 saves for the New York Islanders in a 4-0 win against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Sunday.

It was Sorokin's fifth shutout this season. He is second in the NHL behind Jacob Markstrom of the Calgary Flames (eight).
"Sorokin made a few huge saves when they needed it," New York coach Barry Trotz said. "He deserved the shutout."

Casey Cizikas had a goal and an assist, and Ross Johnston had two assists for the Islanders (20-21-8), who are 2-1-1 on a five-game road trip that concludes at the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.
"We had all the lines rolling," Cizikas said. "The [defensemen] were playing really well and when we had any breakdowns, Ilya was there to make a big save."
Anthony Stolarz made 18 saves for the Ducks (25-21-9), who have lost their past two games and were shut out for the fourth time this season. John Gibson was unavailable because of an illness.
"We had some chances to score, but their goalie was on point," Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins said. "It seemed like everything that we threw at their net, either [Sorokin] saw or it got blocked."
Noah Dobson scored at 13:41 of the first period with a shot from the right point to give New York a 1-0 lead.
Cizikas made it 2-0 at 1:33 of the second period off a feed from Johnston during a delayed penalty.
"That was key to getting off to a good start and getting the lead," Cizikas said. "It just continued on from there."

Sorokin made one of his best saves during a 4-on-4 situation at 16:19 of the second period, using his right pad to turn away a shot from the slot by Kevin Shattenkirk.
"I thought we had a good response," Trotz said. "First period was solid. We knew we could be better than last night. I liked our attitude, it was just, 'Let's play some hockey here.'"
Andy Greene scored at 11:43 of the third period with a wrist shot from the left face-off circle to give the Islanders a 3-0 lead.
Kieffer Bellows scored on a breakaway at 15:06 for the 4-0 final.

Sorokin preserved the shutout with 13 saves in the third.
"I like that we're trying to shoot the puck, but we've got to get them through," Eakins said. "When the opportunities are there, we've got to finish them."
The Islanders played without center Mathew Barzal (lower body) and defenseman Zdeno Chara (upper body), who are day to day after they were injured during a 5-2 loss at the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
"It's a next-man-up mentality," Cizikas said. "We wanted to go out there and we wanted to compete as a team."
The Ducks went 0-for-2 on the power play and are 0-for-9 over the past three games.
"They're known as a solid defensive team and they take care of their own end, so we knew it was going to be difficult," Anaheim defenseman Cam Fowler said. "We couldn't find a way to get one going. It's as simple as that."
NOTES: It was the first game between the Islanders and Ducks since Dec. 21, 2019, when Anaheim won 6-5 in a shootout. … Sorokin is the fourth active goalie with eight shutouts through his first 30 NHL wins, joining Martin Jones (10), Elvis Merzlikins (8) and Cam Talbot (8). ... New York blocked 20 shots, including seven by defenseman Ryan Pulock. … Dobson has scored nine goals since Dec. 5, the most by any NHL defenseman. He has eight points (three goals, five assists) in the past eight games. ... Islanders defenseman Sebastian Aho has an assist in five straight games. … It was the first multipoint effort for Johnston, who played his 100th NHL game. ... The Ducks are 1-2-0 on a six-game homestand. … Anaheim forward Max Comtois had one shot on goal in 14:29 of ice time after being a healthy scratch the previous two games. … Ducks center Adam Henrique did not play because of an illness. .... Lukas Dostal was recalled by Anaheim from San Diego of the American Hockey League and served as its backup goalie.