On the morning of David Rittich’s first begin in purpose as an Islander, coach Patrick Roy was on the ice far longer than standard to work with Ilya Sorokin.
This was the time, with Sorokin struggling through his first three begins, for Roy to bend his own rule about not getting concerned with teaching the goaltenders.
“Shame on me,” said Roy before Thursday night time’s 4-2 win over the Oilers at UBS Arena. “Should have done it before.”
Patrick Roy reacts on the bench during the third interval of the Islanders’ 5-2 loss to the Jets at UBS Arena on Oct. 13, 2025. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
This, Roy went on to say, was not about working with Sorokin on method. That is still director of goaltending Piero Greco’s area. But Roy felt he had something to impart about the psychological facet of the recreation.
After all, Roy is arguably the best big-game goaltender in historical past.
“When I met with [Sorokin] before the season, I said I wanted him to feel my trust,” Roy said. “I thought in the present day was the second. I need him to know that I belief him, I’ll be there for him and I’ll support him.
“We’re using the word compassion: That’s an example. You want to be there for your players. Ilya deserves that. Ilya is one of the best goalies in the league and he needs to have fun being on the ice and he needs to feel good about himself.”
After the loss to Winnipeg on Monday, Sorokin said his confidence is still in a good place, but he has overtly admitted more than once in the last week, including then, that his recreation has been far from where it should be.
Ilya Sorokin defends the web during the second interval of the Islanders’ loss to the Jets at UBS Arena on Oct. 13, 2025. He did not play in the Islanders’ 4-2 home win on Oct. 16. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“I think it’s confidence,” Roy said. “Most of it is confidence. [Former Montreal teammate Hall of Fame defenseman] Denis Savard always said to me, ‘You’re like a big bus in front of your net.’ Sometimes, just wording like this goes a long way. It brings confidence. That’s all I care about.”
Roy plans to begin Sorokin on Saturday in Ottawa, which means that he’ll get 4 of the Islanders’ first 5 video games. That is on par with the mammoth workload he’s shouldered over the last three seasons.
While Roy did not need to share publicly anything particular he instructed Sorokin, it was clear that a lot of their dialog centered on his expertise from his own profession.
“I think I can help him on the mental side of the game because my career was not just a Cinderella story,” Roy said. “I had good games, but I also had some bad ones. So I feel like, sometimes, being able to share that with your goalies is something that could hopefully go a long way.”
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