Game Preview: NY Islanders vs Chicago Blackhawks

The NY Islanders get set to play game two of a three game home stand as they host the Chicago Blackhawks at UBS Arena.

Last Game

After splitting a home and home with the Philadelphia Flyers, the Islanders returned home on Friday night to take on the Nashville Predators. The Isles had not beaten the Preds since 2017 and that stayed true after Nashville beat New York for the second time this season. In the first meeting, back on November 17th, it was a high scoring affair, as the Predators picked a 5-4 victory. This time, it took the Isles until the 11 minute mark of the third period to get on the board as Mat Barzal notched his third goal of the season. However, it was not enough as Nashville went on to win 4-1, thanks to a 48 save performance from goaltender, Kevin Lankinen. 

Before last night, the Chicago Blackhawks had not won a game since November 12th when they beat the Ducks 3-2. The Hawks were able to snap an eight game winless streak as they found a way to beat a struggling New York Rangers team 5-2. Patrick Kane led the way for Chicago with three points (1 goal, 2 assists) in the victory. Petr Mrazek started the game and stopped 21 of 22 shots faced before leaving the game with an injury. 

Historical Matchup

This will be the second meeting this season between the Islanders and the Blackhawks. They met on November 1st at the United Center and it was the Isles who walked away with a 3-1 victory. 

In 118 all-time matchups, the Isles are 45-47–20-6 against the Hawks. 

Players to Watch

The last time the Isles played Chicago, Brock Nelson notched two points (1 goal, 1 assist). In 14 career games against the Blackhawks, Nelson has six goals and nine assists. Look for Brock to have a big game for the Isles in their efforts to snap a two game losing skid. 

Nobody on the Chicago Blackhawks has more goals than their captain, Jonathan Toews. The 34 year old has 17 points in 20 career games against the orange and blue and will be looking to add to his 8 goal total so far this season with the Blackhawks aiming to create a win streak after going so long without a victory. 

Projected Lines

Islanders

Simon Holmstrom-Mathew Barzal-Oliver Wahlstrom
Anders Lee-Brock Nelson-Anthony Beauvillier
Zach Parise-JG Pageau-Josh Bailey
Matt Martin-Casey Cizikas-Ross Johnston

Adam Pelech-Ryan Pulock
Alexander Romanov-Noah Dobson
Sebastian Aho-Scott Mayfield

Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov

Blackhawks

Andreas Athanasiou-Jonathan Toews-Patrick Kane
Philipp Kurashev-Max Domi-Taylor Raddysh
Colin Blackwell-Jason DIckinson-Jujhar Khaira
Boris Katchouk-Mackenzie Entwistle-Reese Johnson

Jack Johnson-Seth Jones
Filip Roos-Connor Murphy
Jake McCabe-Caleb Jones

Arvid Soderblom
Petr Mrazek