For the Islanders’ current fourth line — Kyle MacLean and Marc Gatcomb in Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck’s old spots on either side of Casey Cizikas — it is just that.

The Isles are 17-4-5 in games decided by a single goal including 8-4 in regulation. They are 5-0 in games decided in overtime and are 4-5 in shootouts. The Isles are 4-3 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.

He will get another chance to do so Monday night against the Canucks as he reenters the Islanders lineup with Max Shabanov drawing out.

How has Ilya Sorokin become the favorite for the NHL's Vezina Trophy? Here's what he and the rest of our top five candidates have done this season.

Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves for his NHL-leading fifth shutout of the season as the New York Islanders edged the Edmonton Oilers 1-0 on Thursday night.

And like the Islanders, the Canucks struggle to find the back of the net, especially at 5-on-5. No team has scored fewer goals at even strength than Vancouver this season, which is not a good recipe going against the league’s best goaltender right now.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi falls to McNeese State in their first meeting of the 2025-26 season. Islanders have been dominant at the Hilliard Center (6-2). They'll be back home next Monday vs. UTRGV.

Adam Klapka had a goal and an assist for his first multi-point game of the season as the Calgary Flames beat the New York Islanders 4-2.

It might be overstating it, though, and more than a little, to say they were hard done by with a 4-2 loss to the Flames. The Islanders were loose with the puck, got more sloppy as the game went on

Snapshots from the New York Islanders' 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on January 19, 2026. Photos by Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images, Ethan Cairns/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images and Derek Cain/Getty Images.