So many times, the Islanders have asked Ilya Sorokin to win them a game.

On Tuesday, the defense won him a game in turn.

A 1-0 win last year would have surely required Sorokin to play the hero.

The first 1-0 win of this year, however, on Tuesday against Arizona, required him to make just 14 stops.

This win was notable not for the goalie but for the defensive effort that made Sorokin’s work easy and made the last period a drama-free affair.

This win was a little harder than it had to be, thanks to Karel Vejmelka’s heroics for Arizona in nets.

Through two periods, the Islanders held a 24-7 advantage in shots on net but just a 1-0 lead on the scoreboard, with Mathew Barzal’s left-circle one-timer seconds into a power play early in the second period being the difference.

That left the game open in the third, but the Islanders closed it down clinically.

This was a defensive masterclass straight out of the Barry Trotz era, in which the Isles were so suffocating in their own end that the failure to finish chances was rendered moot.

At five-on-five, the Islanders look good offensively for most of the might, minus that all important factor of scoring goals.

That is an early theme of the first two games, particularly with the first line, which has produced consistent chances without burying any.

It has not yet cost them and, in any case, a 2-0 start is not something they have enjoyed since 2014-15, so it is welcome here.

And, as important as Ilya Sorokin is, one of the biggest takeaways of the first two victories is that the goaltender hasn’t been asked to stand on his head in order to earn them.

Arizona on Tuesday did not reach double digit shots on net until well into the third.

The Islanders — down Scott Mayfield — played with active sticks and poise in their own zone, avoiding messy turnovers.

For once, the defense let Sorokin rest.