Category: Sports News

Overall, the 2024-25 season was a good one for the young Montreal Canadiens. Not only were they in the mix, but they even managed to make the Stanley Cup season after a fantastic second half of the season. Thankfully for the Pittsburgh Penguins, though, they only took on the Habs in the first half of the season.

Montreal took some time to get into gear this year, and Sidney Crosby and co. took advantage. They won all three meetings and obliterated the Canadiens on the scoreboard, winning the season series 18-6.

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The first meeting between the two teams took place on October 14 at the Bell Centre, and the fans in attendance didn’t get an excellent performance from their favorites. While the Penguins committed 23 giveaways, the Habs were unable to take advantage. Although they held their own in the first half of the game, they led 3-2 with less than five minutes left in the second frame. The Pens then scored four unanswered goals to skate away with a 6-3 win.

Two and a half weeks later, in Pittsburgh, the host posted a 3-1 win on the back of a great performance by captain Sidney Crosby, who scored a pair of goals early on. Christian Dvorak got the Habs back within one, but it was too little too late, and Blake Lizotte sealed the win with an empty netter with less than a minute left in the game.

Finally, in December, the Pens destroyed the Canadiens 9-2, in front of their fans, at the Bell Centre. It would turn out to be the last blowout loss Montreal would suffer on the season. Montreal only took 23 shots on net while Pittsburgh had 33. The Habs were unable to score on the man-advantage, despite having four opportunities, while Pittsburgh converted on two of their three opportunities. After that game, something clicked, and the Canadiens never looked back.

Over the three duels, Rikard Rakell had six points, Crosby five, and Kris Letang four. The Penguins’ experienced core had no trouble evading the Habs' coverage and hitting the team on the scoreboard. The question is, will they be around to continue their dominance over the Canadiens next season?

Pittsburgh GM Kyle Dubas has already said that he’s willing to listen to offers on his veteran as a rebuild is looming in Pittsburgh, but so far, none of the big names have moved. Bryan Rust, Rakell, and Erik Karlsson are all still in Pittsburgh. The fact that Dubas is looking for young NHL-ready talent for the two aforementioned forwards cuts down the number of potential suitors for the aging players.

Still, the Penguins managed to land Anthony Mantha and Matt Dumba to bolster their lineup and brought in a new coach in Dan Muse. Meanwhile, Matt Nieto, Matt Grzelcyk, P.O. Joseph, and Alex Nedeljkovic have all left town.

There’s also been talk and rumblings about Crosby’s availability, but Elliotte Friedman put an end to speculation, saying the captain would be starting the season in Pittsburgh. As things stand, the Pens will be a tougher outfit to take on this season than they were last year, but the same can be said for the Canadiens with the additions of Noah Dobson and Zach Bolduc, to name a few.

While it will take some time before the Habs can try their hand at beating the Penguins again, fans will be treated to three duels between the two sides in December. On the 11th in Pittsburgh, the 20th in Montreal, and the 21st in Pittsburgh again. Suppose the Canadiens hope to beat Crosby and co. They’ll need Samuel Montembeault to step up. The starter was in the net for all three defeats last season, with a 4.75 goals-against average and a .833 save percentage. He needs to improve these numbers if the Canadiens are to have a chance.

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When Nicolas Roy puts on a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey, he'll be wearing a number he has never worn in the NHL before. The player will wear No. 55, a number he last used while playing in Junior with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens of the QMJHL.

Roy was a guest on Leafs Morning Take with hosts Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill. When asked about the number's significance, Roy explained that when he played junior hockey as a 14-year-old, he was the youngest player and the last one picked.

“I ended up with 55 and was kind of surprised a little bit and didn't really like it at first," Roy said. "But by the time I played two years with it and then got to juniors, I picked it for four years. Then when I got to Vegas, obviously 55 was already picked, so I picked 10 and obviously couldn't get 10 in Toronto, so I went back with 55".

Roy's No. 10, which he wore with the Vegas Golden Knights, was retired by the Maple Leafs in 2016 during a ceremony where all honored numbers became retired. The number was honored for George Armstrong and his tenure with Toronto.

Since the 2019-20 season, Vegas right-winger Keegan Kolesar has worn No. 55. Roy joined Vegas in the same season after previously playing in the Carolina Hurricanes organization.

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While defenseman Mark Giordano wore No. 55 with Toronto from 2022-2024, Roy is the first forward to wear the number since Jason Blake, who played three seasons with the team from 2007-2010. Prior to Roy, Blake was the only Toronto forward to have ever worn No. 55.

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If the New York Islanders are going to qualify for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, starting netminder Ilya Sorokin is going to have to lead the way.

He's arguably the club's only superstar, and after back-to-back subpar statistical seasons — he posted a 3.01 GAA and a .908 SV% in 2023-24, followed by a 2.71 GAA with a .907 SV% in 2024-25 — the Islanders need him to be ready when the puck drops on Oct. 9 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Steel City. 

When the 2024-25 season began, Sorokin wasn't game-ready as he was still working his way back from offseason back surgery. Head coach Patrick Roy, fortunately, had the stable Semyon Varlamov to turn to for the start of the season.

Now, a year later, Sorokin is putting in the work to be ready, while Varlamov is working his way back from lower-body surgery after his season came to an end in late November.

Islanders Ilya Sorokin's Summer Training Tape A year ago,

The goal for the Islanders is not to play Sorokin into the ground, as it's clear that he isn't an Andrei Vasilevskiy type, someone who can play 60-plus games at an elite level.

That's not a knock on Sorokin, who is still among the elite netminders in the game when he's on his game. Very few goaltenders are capable of doing what Vasilevskiy can do, and it does help that he's on a team with tremendous talent, even if that talent has changed throughout the course of his 11-year career.

Sorokin is a fascinating topic among the Islanders fan base, with one side focusing solely on the stat line and the other just watching.

While the stat line, as mentioned, was not pretty in 2024-25, looking at the game situation matters.

Out of 29 goalies at 5-on-5 who played 2,000-plus minutes, Sorokin ranked 11th with a .919 SV% and 12th with a 2.21 GAA. He ranked seventh in high-danger SV% with a .839 SV%.

Those aren't amazing numbers but much better than his overall stat line, eh?

However, Sorokin’s downfall came on the penalty kill, where the Islanders were second-to-last with a 72.2 PK percentage.

Of 34 goalies to play in 160-plus minutes on the penalty kill, Sorokin ranked 24th with an .847 SV% and 26th with an 8.65 GAA.

All statistics are courtesy of Natural Statrick. 

While the play in front of Sorokin down a man, or two, was subpar, Sorokin wasn't good enough — something he for sure knows.

With Bob Boughner now tasked with managing the penalty kill, the hope is that his system allows for Sorokin to have more success. It truly just comes down to decision-making, as the Islanders often got caught debating what to do, which led to more chaos and easier finishes for the opponent. 

Sorokin's job is to stop the shots he can see, but his struggles with screens was his Achilles heel.

For a goaltender, being aggressive on the PK is key to counteracting the screens and in-tight deflections. But, there's a lot of goalies that like to play deeper, to see around the screens -- it's just a style. 

It isn't a style that has worked well for Sorokin, that much is true, and one would think goaltender coach Piero Greco has pointed it out. 

The good news for Sorokin and the Islandeers is that if they can figure out the PK, they should be in solid shape since they were on the penalty kill only 5:43 minutes per game, which ranked second-best in the NHL.

That's the sad part of the Islanders penalty-kill struggles in 2024-25. 

In all situations, Sorokin faced the third-most shots in the NHL in 2024-25 (1,696) and the third-most high-danger shots (444).

The Islanders need to get those numbers down if they want Sorokin fresh, especially until Varlamov is ready to go. Yes, the Islanders brought in David Rittich on a one-year, $1 million deal, but in a season where the Los Angeles Kings were dominant and Darcy Kuemper was a Vezina finalist with a 2.02 GAA and a .921 SV%, Rittich struggled mightily, posting a 2.84 GAA with an .886 SV% in 34 appearances.

It's the Sorokin show until it's not.

Sorokin is two seasons removed from his 2022-23 Vezina finalist season, where he posted a 2.34 GAA with a .924 SV% in 56 games. He's looking to bounce back and lead the way as he ramps up for his sixth NHL season, entering the second season of an eight-year deal worth $8.25 million annually.

A year ago, New York Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin was rehabbing after undergoing offseason back surgery. 

He was unable to have a normal summer and wasn't game-ready for the start of the 2024-25 season. 

Islanders Goalie Ilya Sorokin Unveils Best Russian Chirper He's Faced In NHLChirping is an art. Some NHL players have mastered the art, while others should probably just let their game do the talking. Most chirps are directed from one skater to another, but chirping a goalie does happen.

Now, he's able to put in the work and preapre accordingly for the 2025-26 season and that's exactly what he's doing. 

Ilya Sorokin putting in some offseason work!

Remember he wasn’t healthy last offseason so this is great to see. Hopefully Semyon Varlamov is progressing as well.#Isles will need excellent goaltending from their tandem next season. pic.twitter.com/5bNv3FVTv1

— Isles Den (@IslesDen) August 11, 2025

Sorokin posted a 30-24-6 record in 61 games, 60 starts, with a 2.71 GAA (second highest of career) and a .907 SV% (lowest of his career). 

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