NEW YORK (AP) — Ilya Sorokin was spotless in his return to the net Tuesday night, 24 hours after good friend Igor Shesterkin went down with an injury that looked like it could be serious. Across the ice from Sorokin, Jacob Markstrom gave up goals on the first two shots he faced and could not make a save when needed on the way to allowing nine of them.
Early in the New Year and just past the midway point of the NHL season, the three teams in the New York area are in very different spots when it comes to goaltending, and that contrast could portend how things go the rest of the way with a tight playoff race shaping up in the Eastern Conference.
Getting Sorokin back is a boon for the Islanders, who have won five of their past seven games to keep pace with first-place Carolina. Sorokin was sharp with no signs of rust shutting out New Jersey, sliding side to side looking like there were zero ill effects from the nagging lower-body injury that kept him out since Dec. 19.
“I was a little nervous because of not playing in two weeks and feel a little bit not in my game in the first couple minutes,” Sorokin said after the 9-0 rout made him the Islanders' career shutout leader with 26. “But after shot by shot, I start to feel confidence.”
But this is nothing new for the franchise netminder on Long Island. Since the Islanders abruptly switched goalie coaches from Pierre Greco to Sergei Naumovs on Oct. 22, Sorokin has a 2.15 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage.
"He’s just so solid," teammate Mat Barzal said. “He doesn’t take a second off, that guy, honestly. He works as hard as anybody I’ve ever seen, day in day off, off days, practice. Whatever it is, he’s the last guy at the rink, and he’s inspiring.”
Shesterkin has been one of the biggest reason the Rangers have stayed afloat while losing 14 of their first 19 home games and struggled at times to score. His 17 wins rank third in the league, his .913 save percentage eighth and his 2.45 goals-against average 12th.
But they won't have him available for at least the next week after putting Shesterkin on injured reserve with what the club called a lower-body injury. Shesterkin appeared to injure his left leg when it bent awkwardly while trying to avoid a collision with Utah's JJ Peterka in the first period Monday night, and he put no weight on it while being helped off the ice.
Shesterkin continues to be evaluated, and the Rangers cannot afford a long stretch without him and top defenseman Adam Fox, who's out at least the next 10 games on long-term IR.
The Devils recently got their best player back from injury, when Jack Hughes returned Dec. 21 after missing a little over a month following finger surgery from cutting his right hand at a team dinner. They outshot the Islanders 44-24, including 15-7 in the first period, but Markstrom could not keep the puck out of his net.
Barzal's goal 62 seconds in would have been tough for anyone to stop, but Markstrom also got beaten clean off the rush twice by Anthony Duclair, who picked up his first hat trick in more than six years. Markstrom allowed nine goals on 24shots in a dud of a performance that put a damper on some strong starts lately.
“I didn’t like the quality of chance that we had given up, and Marky has been playing quite well for us and I thought deserved the opportunity to stay in through the first period and decided to go back out with him again in the second,” coach Sheldon Keefe said. “Once that next one goes in, for me now, it’s just got to own it. He’s just got to battle through the rest of the game.”
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom (25) watchs New York Islanders' Anthony Duclair (11) after Duclair scored a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom (25) reacts as a puck shot by New York Islanders' Mathew Barzal gets past him for a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) stops a shot during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
SYDNEY (AP) — Mitchell Starc took 31 wickets. Travis Head posted three centuries and tallied 629 runs. Alex Carey completed 28 dismissals.
The bowling, batting and fielding performances feature highly on the all-time lists for Aussies in the Ashes, underscoring Australia's dominance in the 4-1 series win that was completed on Day 5 of the fifth test with a five-wicket in Sydney.
“Yeah, it has been magnificent,” Steve Smith, Australia’s stand-in captain for four of the five tests in the absence of Pat Cummins, said of the individual contributions. “I think everyone’s stood up at different times. (Starc, Head and Carey) were obviously huge standouts, but other guys stood up at different times throughout the series and, you know, that’s what makes a good team.”
The Australians bowled England out for 342 on the fifth morning of the series finale and, chasing 160 for victory, finished 161-5 with Carey hitting the winnings runs and Cameron Green unbeaten on 22. Usman Khawaja was sent into retirement with a guard of honor and a standing ovation.
“It was nice to finish on a high note,” said Smith, who scored a century in the first innings to move up to No. 6 on the all-time list. “We know the importance of every test match with the World Test Championship, so to get the result here and finish the series on a high was incredibly pleasing.”
The Australians retained the Ashes with wins in the first three tests, but England was determined to narrow the margin after its drought-breaking win in Melbourne.
“Tough one to take knowing that we can play a lot better than that, but ... the Australian cricket team, they’ve just been incredible for five test matches," injured England captain Ben Stokes said. “But also, being pretty truthful to ourselves, we’ve done a little bit of damage ourselves.”
The 39-year-old veteran walked to the crease after Smith was bowled by Will Jacks and Australia was 92-3. He was given a guard of honor from the England players, shook hands with Stokes and hugged Marnus Labuschagne.
He got off the mark with a paddled reverse sweep and edged another ball between the wicketkeeper and first slip for another 2.
Labuschagne had a reprieve when he was dropped on 20 by Jacob Bethell and took 16 off the next over, bowled by Jacks, to get the chase down to 41.
That's where Khawaja's 88-test career finished, dragging a delivery from Josh Tongue (3-42) onto his stumps.
He saluted the crowd, then kneeled and kissed the turf in front of a “Thankyou Uzzy” sign that was painted onto the field.
Labuschagne was soon run out for 37 when he took off for a single, only to get sent back by Carey.
At 121-5, it was tense, until Carey and Green combined to usher Australia home.
England resumed on Day 5 at 302-8, a lead of 119 runs, and added 40 more runs.
Starc dismissed Bethell for 154 and Tongue (6) to finish off the England innings and finish the series with 31 wickets at an average of 19.9, a performance that earned him the player of the series honors.
Australia's chase started quickly, scoring 10 in the first over, before Head was caught in the deep for 29.
After getting a major reprieve on a contentious DRS decision on 16, Jake Weatherald misjudged a short ball from Tongue and was caught out for 34.
That DRS ruling added extra spice to the last day of the series.
England reviewed umpire Ahsan Raza’s not out decision to a caught behind appeal against Weatherald from Brydon Carse's bowling.
DRS technology appeared to show a slight murmur when the ball passed the toe of Weatherald’s bat before going through to the wicketkeeper. But TV umpire Kumar Dharmasena deemed there was inconclusive evidence, and upheld the original decision.
The England players were stunned, after watching the DRS replays on the stadium screens, and Stokes had to step in to move Carse away from umpire Raza as he demanded an explanation. Stokes calmly approached the umpire, discussed the decision-making process, and got on with the game.
The total crowd across five days of the fifth test was 211,032, a record for the Sydney Cricket Ground.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Australian team celebrate with the Ashes trophy following the final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Australia Usman Khawaja kisses the turf as he leaves the field during play on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Australia's Jake Weatherald bats during play on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
England's Brydon Carse, right, and teammate Ben Stokes talk to umpire Ahsan Raza during play on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
England's Matthew Potts, left, gestures to teammate Jacob Bethell after he was dismissed during play on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
England's Jacob Bethell bats during play on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
England's Jacob Bethell bats during play on the last day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
