The Chicago Blackhawks looked to make it two in a row as they visited UBS Arena on Thursday night to face the New York Islanders. The Hawks are coming off their first win of the season, a 4-2 win in their home opener against the St. Louis Blues. The Hawks started Arvid Soderblom in net against the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin.
First period
The Islanders struck first late in the opening frame on the power play when Bo Horvat scored his third of the season. Off a faceoff win, Matthew Schaefer shot one from the point that Soderblom denied but Horvat pounced on the rebound at 19:01 to give the Isles a 1-0 lead after one.
Second period
At 6:44, Emil Heineman scored his second of the young season to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead. It was an unfortunate break (literally) for the Hawks, as Sam Rinzel broke his stick and Matias Maccelli on the half wall found Heineman trailing and he fired a wrist shot from the top of the left circle to extend the Islanders’ lead.
Former Blackhawk forward Anthony Duclair extended the Islanders’ lead to 3-0 with his first of the season. Duclair had a step on Artyom Levshunov driving to the net and drew a penalty. Jean-Gabriel Pageau retrieved the puck from the corner and fed Logan Stanley in the right circle and he made a diagonal pass to a wide-open Duclair, who buried it at 9:38. The home team would take a 3-0 into the locker room after two periods.
Third period
With 2:32 left and the Hawks’ net empty, Patrick Kane found Frank Nazar in the slot and he connected on a one-timer for his second of the season. The Hawks trailed 3-1.
BANG 💥 https://t.co/lwA2M7i4hu
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 9, 2026
Bo Horvat iced the game with an empty-net goal for his second of the game and fourth of the season. The Islanders would go on to win 4-1.
Analysis
The Hawks had a solid start offensively against a tough team on the road but could not put the puck in the net. Eventually, the Islanders broke through and the Hawks could not come back. Beyond the loss, the Hawks may be without Nazar for a game or two after being assessed a match penalty following a hit to the head of Horvat as he scored the Islanders’ fourth goal. While the Hawks were able to generate some offensive zone pressure at even strength, they continue to end possessions in turnovers and odd-man rushes the other way instead of goals.
The Blackhawks return home to face the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night at the United Center. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. CDT on CHSN with the radio call on 720 AM WGN.