Biz on Ilya Sorokin's importance to New York Islanders - "Not a chicken d*cks chance they're in the playoffs without him"

Ilya Sorokin and the New York Islanders were very close to making it to the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs but fell short against the Washington Capitals, who thrashed them 5-2 last night.

The good news for the Isles is that the Florida Panthers, who were one spot above them in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race, lost 2-1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs last night, leaving the two wild card spots in the East up for grabs.

Paul Bissonnette on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast talked about the impact that goalie Ilya Sorokin has had for the Islanders this season and said that he is one of the main reasons they are even contending for a playoff spot in the East.

Biz said:

"If you take Sorokin out of the Islanders lineup, there's not a chicken d*cks chance they're in the playoffs"

Ilya Sorokin has been a brick wall in the Isles' goal this entire season and has racked up some ridiculous numbers. In the 61 games he's played this season, Sorokin has made 1,682 out of a possible 1819 saves, giving him a .925 SV%.

Sorokin played well coming into Monday's contest against the Caps, going 2-1-0 with a sparkling .968 save percentage in his past three outings. Sorokin allowed two goals just 1:03 mins into the first period and then went on to concede one more goal in a crushing 5-2 loss.

Biz thinks Ilya Sorokin should win MVP this season

Biz went on to compare Ilya Sorokin's importance to that of Connor McDavid. He said:

"But going back to the MVP, if you take Connor McDavid out of the Oilers lineup, they're making playoffs we can all agree on that right? They're still on there."

Many might not agree with this, but a solid case can be made for the Oilers making the playoffs with the rest of their firepower including Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, both of whom are having record-breaking seasons.

Ilya Sorokin has started 59 games in goal for the Islanders this season, 30 of which have resulted in a win for the team. These numbers are a testiment to the fact that Sorokin is of utmost importance to his team.

Biz added:

"So I would say that this year after 82 games Sorokin is the true MVP in a sense of what he means to his team."

The Islanders play their last regular-season game tomorrow against the Montreal Canadiens. They are in a tight wild card race with the Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres and might not even get to decide their own destiny.