Islanders 7 (EN), Predators 4: Sorokin credited with Smith-style goalie goal

Trade candidates Nelson, Palmieri and Pageau also score in an easy afternoon.

When Islanders goalies score goals, they don’t need to shoot themselves; the other team obligingly does that for them.

With 12 seconds left in a 7-4 Islanders win over the Nashville Predators, Ilya Sorokin was credited with the 20th goalie goal in NHL history when Steven Stamkos sent an errant pass back to the point that slid all the way into the empty Predators net. Like Isles legend Billy Smith — the first NHL goalie ever credited with a goal — Sorokin simply made a save, while the opponents did the rest. (Three other former Islanders goalies had goals in their careers, but Chris Osgood, Evgeni Nabakov and Ron Hextall each did it with their previous teams.)

Anyway, there was a game Saturday afternoon, between two teams whose seasons are otherwise to be forgotten. The win temporarily lifts the Islanders to five points behind wild card holders Columbus and Detroit, who will meet outdoors later in the day.

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The Islanders came out flying and carried a 3-0 lead into the second period. After a couple of exchanges of goals, it remained a three-goal, 5-2 lead into the third period, which they extended to 6-2 early on a Casey Cizikas goal. Cole Smith closed the gap back to three goals 30 seconds later. With the goalie pulled, the Predators finally got one more back with 1:04 to go, but like Sorokin’s goal it was academic.

On the afternoon, trade candidates Kyle Palmieri, J-G Pageau and Brock Nelson each scored — two for Nelson, including a shorthanded goal off some beautiful work with Simon Holmstrom…

…and a goal that was unsuccessfully challenged for goalie interference. Palmieri definitely clipped Jusse Saros, but the Preds goalie was out of his protected blue paint and Palmieri was just minding his business:

Meanwhile, Anthony Duclair sat most of the third period, benched because because Patrick Roy wants more from him in both directions. Hopefully it’s a wake-up call for Duclair as he is still seeking his pre-injury form.

As for Sorokin’s goal, it wasn’t immediately obvious who would get credited, since it was unexpected. But buzz started to build as people realized with the replay that Sorokin’s save was the last touch before Stamkos. Not quite the goalie goal celebration we always envisioned, but something fun to take the sting off the win their stagnant plight.

Up Next

The trade deadline looms and the standings can be deceiving, particularly to Lou Lamoriello. A back-to-back set with the Rangers and Jets Monday and Tuesday will be the Isles’ last games before the deadline. Nelson stands at 899 regular season games played and 572 points in an Islanders uniform.