Chicago Blackhawks Beat New York Islanders 4-3
The Blackhawks are struggling. They are just 3-3-5 in their last 11 games and lost their last game to the Nashville Predators 3-2 in overtime. With this game being at home, the Islanders had a great opportunity to win, and they did not. They lost 4-3. The Islanders needed this game as they are in the exceptionally tight Metropolitan Division.
While David Rittich started this game against the Blackhawks, it is worth mentioning up front that the Islanders starting goaltender, Ilya Sorokin, got his league-leading seventh shutout of the season in the gritty Islanders win over the Blue Jackets. His seven shutouts lead the National Hockey League. Do you think Sorokin will win the Vezina Trophy as the best goaltender in the National Hockey League?
Blackhawks and Islanders Scoring Summary
The Blackhawks are not very good. They are in last place and debuting their high draft picks. However, this game demonstrates something important about hockey. The Islanders started their backup goaltender, Rittich. He allowed three goals in the first period. In contrast, the Blackhawks’ goaltender, Arvid Soderblom, made more than 40 saves. This demonstrates how important goaltending is to a team’s success. Here is a scoring summary from the game.
In the first period, the Islanders scored first on a goal from Anders Lee. However, the Balckhawks had three goals in the period. Nick Lardis, Ilya Mikheyev, and Todd Bertuzzi scored. It was 3-1 Chicago. That is how the period ended.
In the second period, Frank Nazar scored the only goal of the period for the Blackhawks. That goal made it 4-1, Chicago. It is worth noting that Rittch was pulled before this period. Ilya Sorokin came in. The Islanders needed to generate some pressure.
The pressure came in the third period. The Islanders scored two goals to get the game to 4-3. Simon Holmstrom scored first. Cal Ritchie scored second. That made it 4-3. Chicago took a penalty, and the Islanders pulled their goaltender. Despite the 6-on-4 advantage, they were unable to score the tying goal and lost 4-3 in regulation.
Player Of the Game
The player of the game was Soderblom. He made 44 saves on 47 shots. He was the reason the Blackhawks won this game. Even though he let in a couple of third-period goals, the Islanders were putting him under extreme pressure. He made several very good saves.
Turning Point
The turning point of this game was the three unanswered goals Chicago scored in the first period. The Islanders scored first, and then they played sloppily and let in three goals. It was 3-1 Chicago, ultimately too many for the Islanders to come back from. Those three goals led to Rittich being pulled in favor of Sorokin.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Blackhawks beat the Islanders 4-3. The turning point of the game was when Chicago scored three unanswered goals in the first period. The Islanders host the Stars on Thursday. The Stars are very good. Chicago plays in Philadelphia on Thursday as well. Both games are at 7 p.m.
Breaking News
This morning, Victor Eklund, who played in Sweden this season, said he would come to Bridgeport this year. He was the third Islanders’ 2025 first-round pick. Usually, the European players do not come to North America after they play, so this was a surprise. If he plays in Bridgeport this year, he might make the Islanders next year.
Parting Shots
This was a bad 4-3 loss for the Islanders. They should have won, playing against inferior competition. They did not. Now they are no longer in a playoff spot and face a difficult Dallas Stars team on Thursday. The standings are just too tight with only 10 games remaining to lose games they should win.
