Islanders Head Coach Patrick Roy Smokes His Team But Backs His Goalie After Rough Loss To Blackhawks

Once a card-carrying member of the goaltenders' union, always a card-carrying member of the goaltenders' union.

Patrick Roy and the New York Islanders played host to the bottom-feeding Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night, and while it looked like the Islanders were going to breeze to a win thanks to a 5-1 lead midway through the third period, the Blackhawks battled back to nearly send the game to overtime, ultimately losing 5-4.

Sure, it's good to get out there with two points as the Islanders are battling for a wild card spot right now, but Roy was not at all impressed with how his team played in the final 10 minutes of the game.

Except for netminder Ilya Sorokin. He played well.

"A win is a win, and we play to win games, but I guess times have changed because in my days, if my team would have done that to me, I would break a stick in that room," Roy said, per The Hockey News. 

Remember, this is Patrick Roy we're talking about. I don't think he's exaggerating. He would absolutely do that.

"I’d be very upset to see my team playing like this in front of me. Ilya is a gentleman. He’s a first-class person, but that was unacceptable. We didn't compete. We didn't battle in front of the net in the last eight minutes. That's unacceptable," he said. 

"We talked about it this morning, to be stronger. Our goalie deserves more respect than this."

Patrick Roy was not shy about his disappointment with how his team played on Thursday night against Chicago... except goalie Ilya Sorokin; he played well.(Brad Penner-Imagn Images)

The Blackhawks out-shot the Isles 30-21 on Thursday night, and according to Money Puck's Deserve To Win O'Meter, the Blackhawks had a 55 percent chance of winning based on 1,000 simulations. 

So, yeah, it's safe to say that the Isles are lucky to have gotten out of that one with a win, and Sorokin is largely to thank.

Giving up more shots than you take — especially quality ones like the Islanders were — is not a sustainable way to win hockey games, and Roy knows that just as well as anyone.