With Semyon Varlamov battling an undisclosed injury, Lane Lambert and the Islanders coaching staff have an easy decision turning back to Sorokin between the pipes, despite his porous performance in their previous outings. On Wednesday, Sorokin allowed six goals on 25 shots (.760 SV%) in an eventual 7-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Islanders, -147 home favourites, are 1-1-1 against the Capitals this season, but Friday will mark Sorokin's first appearance against them this season.

Sorokin has won two straight games for the Islanders and will return to the crease on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. After a sluggish start to the season, including a five-game winless skid, Sorokin seems to be righting the ship, collecting at least a point in seven straight games (5-0-2) while posting a respectable .916 SV%. The Islanders are slight -114 home favourites against the Penguins, who came up short in their last game before the Christmas break, losing 5-4 to the Ottawa Senators in overtime.

After alternating starts with Semyon Varlamov over the last week, Sorokin will start for the third time in the last five games for the Islanders. Sorokin has struggled to string together quality starts this season, never recording more than two in a row. After allowing four goals on 34 shots (.882 SV%) in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins in his last outing, he will be hard-pressed to regain his footing against the high-flying Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. The Islanders are +121 home underdogs against an Oilers team that has lost two straight but previously won eight games in a row.

After alternating starts with Semyon Varlamov over the last week, Sorokin will likely start for the third time in the last five games for the Islanders. Sorokin has struggled to string together quality starts this season, never recording more than two in a row. After allowing four goals on 34 shots (.882 SV%) in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins in his last outing, he will be hard-pressed to regain his footing against the high-flying Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. The Islanders are +121 home underdogs against an Oilers team that has lost two straight but previously won eight games in a row.

Sorokin has won two straight games and will return to the crease on Friday after serving as the backup in their previous game on Wednesday. Sorokin has won consecutive games only one other time this season and has yet to record three straight victories. The Islanders as a whole are playing their best hockey of the season, riding a season-best four-game winning streak. That said, they are slight +102 home underdogs against a Boston Bruins team that has scored more than three goals only once in their last four games (2-1-1).

Sorokin has won two straight games and will likely return to the crease on Friday after serving as the backup in their previous game on Wednesday. Sorokin has won consecutive games only one other time this season and has yet to record three straight victories. The Islanders as a whole are playing their best hockey of the season, riding a season-best four-game winning streak. That said, they are slight +102 home underdogs against a Boston Bruins team that has scored more than three goals only once in their last four games (2-1-1).

Sorokin was terrific in his last game, saving 34 of 36 shots (.944 SV%) in a 3-2 overtime victory over the high-flying Los Angeles Kings and will start again on Monday. Sorokin has had an up-and-down season, highlighted by his lower-than-usual .588 quality start percentage. In addition, Sorokin is also sporting career lows in save percentage (.913) and goals against average (3.12). However, the Islanders have points in their last five games (4-0-1) and are only slight +106 home underdogs against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who also have points in five straight (4-0-1).

Sorokin was terrific in his last game, saving 34 of 36 shots (.944 SV%) in a 3-2 overtime victory over the high-flying Los Angeles Kings and will likely start again on Monday. Sorokin has had an up-and-down season, highlighted by his lower-than-usual .588 quality start percentage. In addition, Sorokin is also sporting career lows in save percentage (.913) and goals against average (3.12). However, the Islanders have points in their last five games (4-0-1) and are only slight +106 home underdogs against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who also have points in five straight (4-0-1).

Sorokin is coming off an impressive 42-save performance (.933 SV%) in the Islanders' 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers on Saturday and will start again on Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks. Despite a career-low GAA (3.09) and save percentage (.914) through 15 games, Sorokin has been better lately, allowing only 10 total goals in his last four games (2-1-1), posting a solid .935 SV%. The Islanders are -272 home favourites against the Sharks who, despite being the lowest-scoring team in the NHL (1.88 GF / GP), have scored nine goals over their last two games (1-1-0).

Sorokin is coming off an impressive 42-save performance (.933 SV%) in the Islanders' 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers on Saturday and will likely start again on Tuesday against the San Jose Sharks. Despite a career-low GAA (3.09) and save percentage (.914) through 15 games, Sorokin has been better lately, allowing only 10 total goals in his last four games (2-1-1), posting a solid .935 SV%. The Islanders are -272 home favourites against the Sharks who, despite being the lowest-scoring team in the NHL (1.88 GF / GP), have scored nine goals over their last two games (1-1-0).

Sorokin is coming off a rare shutout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, in which he saved all 40 shots he faced. In his last five games (2-1-2), Sorokin has saved 176 of 189 shots (.931 SV%) and seems to be trending toward the Vezina-caliber form he has displayed over the last several seasons. Sorokin will need to be at his finest on Tuesday as the Islanders are +140 road underdogs against a New Jersey Devils team coming off a dominant 7-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.

Sorokin is coming off a rare shutout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, in which he saved all 40 shots he faced. In his last five games (2-1-2), Sorokin has saved 176 of 189 shots (.931 SV%) and seems to be trending toward the Vezina-caliber form he has displayed over the last several seasons. Sorokin will need to be at his finest on Tuesday as the Islanders are +140 road underdogs against a New Jersey Devils team coming off a dominant 7-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.

Sorokin will return to the Islanders' crease after backup Semyon Varlamov got the nod for Friday's game in Ottawa. Sorokin is coming off one of his best starts of the season, denying 34 of the 36 shots he faced in Wednesday's 3-2 victory over the Flyers. The 28-year-old netminder owns a 5-3-4 record on the year to go along with his .909 SV% and 3.21 GAA.

Sorokin saved 35 of 39 shots (.897 SV%) on Saturday, helping the Islanders snap a season-worst seven-game losing skid, and will likely start again on Wednesday. Last year's Vezina-runner-up has performed well below his expectations thus far, posting a 3.32 GAA and .906 SV% through 11 games (4-3-4). The Islanders will hope his most recent win sparks a string of good play for a team that has otherwise been reeling in the wrong direction and, as -147 home favourites against the Philadelphia Flyers, look poised to do so on Wednesday night.