If Ilya Sorokin lives up to the hype, or even comes reasonably close to it, his NHL debut will seem like a blip, a learning experience on the way to a good Islanders’ career.
Because Game No. 1 — an unexpected outing after intended starter Semyon Varlamov was injured in pre-game warmups — was a rough one for both the highly-touted Russian rookie goalie and the Islanders.
The Islanders were sloppy, soft, unfocused and undisciplined in a 5-0 loss to the Rangers on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, just two nights after Varlamov made 24 saves in a dominating 4-0 win in the season-opener for both in the same building.