Ilya Sorokin shines against Stars to give the playoff-chasing Islanders a much-needed 2-1 win

NEW YORK (AP) — Ilya Sorokin gave the New York Islanders the type of elite goaltending they needed facing one of the NHL's top teams while in the thick of a playoff chase, making 26 saves to beat the Dallas Stars 2-1 on Thursday night.

Sorokin was locked in from the drop of the puck, denying Colin Blackwell on a shorthanded breakaway 10 minutes in and making a handful of other 10-bell saves on quality scoring chances in the first period alone. He was perfect on a pair of penalty kills, one each in the second and third periods, and allowed only one goal on a 6-on-5 with three minutes left to Matt Duchene.

Bo Horvat scored his 30th goal of the season five minutes in and Calum Ritchie later picked up the 11th of his rookie year to provide enough offensive support. Matthew Schaefer, the face of the franchise at 18 years old, assisted on each to reach 54 points and tie Hall of Famer Denis Potvin for the second most by a rookie defenseman in Islanders history.

Despite allowing Horvat's goal off the rush and Ritchie's when it went in off his left skate, Jake Oettinger was excellent in his own right. Oettinger stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced as Dallas lost a third game in a row and for the fourth time in five games.

This was a better defensive effort for the Stars than their sloppy defeat Tuesday night at home against New Jersey. They have already clinched a playoff berth, are likely to face Minnesota in the first round and are spending the remainder of the regular season trying to get their team game in order.

The Islanders are clawing to get in as part of a fierce Eastern Conference race of seven teams vying for five spots.

Stars: Make the second stop on their four-game trip Saturday at Pittsburgh, when Mikko Rantanen could return from the injury that has sidelined him since the Olympics.

Islanders: Host two-time defending champion Florida on Saturday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

New York Islanders' Bo Horvat (14) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Dallas Stars' Matt Duchene (95) reacts as the New York Islanders celebrate a goal by Bo Horvat during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) and Nils Lundkvist (5) protect the net from New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin protects the net during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) stops a shot by Dallas Stars' Sam Steel (18) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

PHOENIX (AP) — Lydia Ko opened with four straight birdies and never stopping rolling Thursday until she closed out the best round of her LPGA Tour career with two more birdies for a 12-under 60 on a day of extreme low scoring in the Ford Championship.

Defending champion Hyo Joo Kim had a 61, making it the first time since the 2003 Kellogg-Keebler Classic two players were double digits under par in the opening round.

“I don't think I've ever actually started a round with four birdies, so it was nice to take advantage of the good start and continue that on my back nine,” Ko said. “I think like as every golfer, when things go well you also think about the things that could go terribly wrong. I feel like I stayed patient and was rolling it really well.”

A moderate start to her 13th season came to life on the Cattail course at Whirlwind Golf Club when the 28-year-old Ko got into a rhythm after a rare putter change and started piling up the birdies.

She said the idea of 59 — Annika Sorenstam has the only sub-60 round in LPGA history, 25 years ago on a different course in Phoenix — entered her thinking when she birdied her 14th and 15th holes of the round after starting on No. 10.

But she didn't hit a 7-foot birdie putt firmly enough on the par-5 seventh. Ko finished with two more birdies for her career low round.

“That would have been nice to hole that one,” Ko said. “But who knows? Maybe if I holed that one I might not have holed the other two. You can't think about ‘what if?’ Birdied some other ones that I didn't expect, so kind of just evens out in that sense.”

It was the ninth round of 60 or lower on the LPGA, the most recent by Lucy Li at Pinnacle Country Cub in Arkansas in 2024.

Kim also started on No. 10 and shot 28 on the front nine, finishing birdie-eagle-birdie, including a hole-out from the fairway on the par-4 eighth hole.

Nelly Korda, who opened the year with a 54-hole win in Florida and was runner-up last week in California, holed out from the 18th fairway for eagle in the middle of her round and shot 63, one of her career best. She was three shots behind.

They all played in the morning and no one caught them in the afternoon, when temperatures were pushing 100 degrees (38 Celsius). Frida Kinhult of Sweden had a 64, the low score of the afternoon. Jeeno Thitikul, the No. 1 player in women's golf, opened with a 69.

The big surprise for Ko was not so much her score but the equipment she uses. The Kiwi rarely tinkers with her putter but decided to switch to a different model earlier this week.

“It’s been a while since I have tried a different model,” Ko said of her Scotty Cameron 12 she used at Whirlwind. “It just rolled good. Went in the bag on Tuesday. ... This has only been one round but it’s a good start. You know, really couldn’t have been any better.”

Ko was among six players from the morning wave who shot 65 or better. The course must not have seemed all that easy to Lexi Thompson, who plays a limited schedule and made her 2026 debut with a 75 that left her 15 shots behind.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Lydia Ko, of New Zealand, hits from the 11th tee during the first round of the LPGA Fortinet Founders Cup golf tournament, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Menlo Park, Calif. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)