from Ethan Sears of the New York Post,

The language used by Mathew Barzal was too specific to be a coincidence.

Asked about Ilya Sorokin following the Islanders’ season-extending 3-2 win over the Hurricanes on Tuesday, Barzal used the Hart Trophy’s criteria to describe the Islanders’ goaltender.

“He’s special,” Barzal said. “He really is. He’s been our backbone all year. You look at the most important players in the league to their teams, I think he’s in the top three or five players in the league.”

If that wasn’t clear before Tuesday, it is now after Sorokin keyed the Islanders with 34 saves to stave off elimination against the Hurricanes, sending both teams back to Elmont for Game 6 on Friday and making sure the Islanders’ season lasts at least a few more days.

It is Sorokin — of course it is Sorokin — who deserves much of the credit for this one, finally leaving his imprint on the series from start to finish on a night when the Islanders may not have had their best, but the goaltender rendered that detail moot.

continued

Game highlights are below.