The Islanders were shorthanded, with both Mat Barzal and Alexander Romanov were out of the lineup, injured. However, the Blackhawks are a young and inexperienced team. The Islanders won 4-1. Of note, even though Mat Barzal missed the team’s morning skate, he did skate on his own. Alexander Romanov is also out, for 6-8 months, with a torn ACL suffered in the last game against the Rangers.
The Islanders, who are beginning a three-game home stand, lost their last game Tuesday night to the aforementioned Rangers. This came after a surprising 6-0 victory over the Devils. The Blackhawks came into this game at only 1-3, but that one win came in their last game. A resounding 6-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Do you think this is a game the Islanders should win?
Islanders Against Blackhawks Game Summary October 8
In the first period, Bo Horvat scored for the Islanders, giving them a 1-0 lead. It was Horvat’s third consecutive game with a power play goal and it was the first goal the Islanders scored in the first period all season. That was his third goal of the young season, and it was Matthew Schaefer’s third assist of the season. It has been eighth seasons since someone had scored power play goals in three consecutive games. 1-0 was the score at the end of the first period.
In the second period, Emil Heineman scored for the Islanders, giving them a 2-0 lead. This goal was set up by new Islander Matias Maccelli. Then, Anthony Duclair scored for the Islanders, giving them a 3-0 lead. Gigantic defenseman Logan Stanley had a primary assist on the goal. Duclair is off to a great start for the team. 3-0 was the score at the end of the period. By the way, with a shutout in his last game, this is the longest period Ilya Sorokin has kept the opposition scoreless.
In the third period, Frank Nazar scored for the Blackhawks. The shutout was lost. The score was now 3-1. Then, Bo Horvat scored an empty net goal for the Islanders, the score was 4-1. That was the final score of the game.
Romanov Injury
Alexander Romanov missed almost all of last season after hurting his shoulder on a dirty hit. Now he is going to miss all of this season as well. He tore his ACL in the last game against the Rangers after he got tangled up with Mika Zibibajad. He did not play in the final twelve minutes in the last game.
However, he has been playing well in the few games he has played. In almost three full games, he did not have any points, but he was a +2, and he was playing more than 16 minutes a game. His loss is a big one, and it forced the Islanders to juggle its defensive pairs. They called Scott Mayfield down from the press box to fill the empty space on the roster.
Barzal Skating
Mat Barzal missed the team skate today, but he did skate on his own. This was a big moment for the star, who is battling knee inflammation, a chronic injury. Barzal, 28, has missed the first four games of the regular season after inflammation in his left knee from a previous injury sidelined him for all of training camp and preseason. As the team is offensively challenged, they need Barzal back as soon as possible.
This Game and the Next
The Islanders won this game 4-1. It was nice to see them jump out to a 3-0 lead. Bo Horvat was the player of the game. He has now scored power play goals in three consecutive games. The Islanders host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday at 7:30. The Chicago Blackhawks host Carolina on Saturday October 10, at 7 pm. It us the first game of a seven game homestand for them.
Conclusion
In this season, where they will be challenged to get points. The Islanders must beat the teams they are supposed to beat. The Chicago Blackhawks are one of those teams. It was good the Islanders were able to win this game. It was also good news for the team that Mat Barzal skated today. He took the first step to coming back.
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