Sorokin saves the day again

It was real, and it was spectacular. And you can now add Erik Gustafsson to the list of players who have worn a baffled look on their face after an unreal, off-balance stick save by Ilya Sorokin during the first period of Tuesday’s 7-2 Islanders victory over Toronto.

The save, which was made long before the Islanders ran away with the game, prevented Toronto from taking a 2-0 lead and was by far the best of Sorokin’s 23 stops on the night.

“It was traffic,” Sorokin said. “I could see a player with the puck. I see he moved his body, I thought it was shot. Last moment I saw it was pass. I had one chance [to recover].” Instead of the puck hitting the back of what looked like an open net, Gustafsson’s shot hit Sorokin’s paddle.

“You almost feel like you got one for free,” Cal Clutterbuck said. “It’s one of those, you look at the scoreboard and this one, it could get away from you, but then it’s still 1-0 and you go and tie it up first minute of the second period.”

Making it all the more stunning is that Sorokin has done this before — making similar saves against Artemi Panarin last season at Madison Square Garden and Kris Letang last month at Pittsburgh.

“Not that we don’t appreciate it, obviously what he’s done this year for us so far, we know how good he is. But when you see saves like that, you don’t see those every night,” Noah Dobson said. “He’s just got great — the position his body’s in, I’m not sure how he does it.”

There may not be a goaltender in the NHL more skilled with his paddle than Sorokin, whose heroics have helped keep the Islanders in the playoff race all season.

➤ Sebastian Aho (upper body) was out for Tuesday’s game and is considered day-to-day. Samuel Bolduc replaced Aho in the lineup as Parker Wotherspoon was a healthy scratch, skating for 15:45 and totaling two shots and one blocked shot.

➤ Lane Lambert said before the game he’s still hopeful for Mat Barzal to return before the end of the season. Barzal has yet to begin skating.

➤ Tuesday was Lou Lamoriello’s 1,400th NHL victory as a general manager. He is the second GM to reach the mark after David Poile.