Game Preview: Islanders vs Blackhawks

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (11-12-7) VS CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (9-17-2)

7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH: MSGSN | MSG+ | ESPN+

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

The New York Islanders are looking to get back in the win column when they host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night, which kicks off a home-and-home set between the clubs.

The Isles are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night at UBS Arena. After the Isles found themselves in a 2-0 hole, Anders Lee narrowed the deficit to 2-1, but the Isles couldn’t find the equalizer. Ilya Sorokin stopped 27 of 29 shots faced in his sixth consecutive start. The Ioss dropped the Islanders to below NHL-.500.

“We were looking forward to this, it was a good test and these guys are playing good hockey,” Kyle Palmieri said following the loss. “The implications, it’s [game] 30 and there’s a long way to go but we’re taking it day by day. We’ll regroup and get ready for Thursday.”

The Blackhawks took down the New York Rangers 2-1 on Monday night in the first game of their three-game road trip. Tyler Bertuzzi and Taylor Hall scored for the Blackhawks in the win, while Arvid Soderblom turned aside 29 of 30 shots faced.

SEASON SERIES

The Islanders went 1-0-1 last season against the Blackhawks and have a record of 4-0-2 over their last three seasons. The season series between the two teams will conclude on Sunday when the Isles visit Chicago to complete the home-and-home.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES

- Mathew Barzal, Anthony Duclair and Adam Pelech all participated in morning skate with non-contact jerseys. Barzal (LTIR, upper body) has missed 20 games since he was injured on Oct. 30, Duclair (LTIR, lower-body) has missed 25 contests since his injury on Oct. 19 and Pelech was sidelined for 19 games since he sustained an injury on Nov. 1. Thursday marked Barzal's first time skating with the group, while it was Duclair's second consecutive session and Pelech's fourth.

- Anders Lee (illness) missed Thursday's morning skate and is considered a game-time decision against the Chicago Blackhawks, per Roy.

- Scott Mayfield, who missed Tuesday's contest against the Los Angeles Kings with an illness, will slot back into the lineup on Thursday and skated on a pair with Isaiah George during morning skate.

- Ilya Sorokin is expected to make his seventh straight start on Thursday. Sorokin, who is 8-8-4 this season, is 3-2-1 in six consecutive starts, allowing 13 goals over that span along with a .919 SV% and one shutout.

ISLANDERS NOTES

- With his 13^th goal of the season on Tuesday, Captain Anders Lee took sole possession of eighth on the franchise list in goals (273), passing John Tavares. Lee has three points (2G, 1A) in his last two outings and leads the Islanders with 24 points.

“It started in training camp, he came ready and from day one he’s been working hard and showing consistency,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “It’s nice to see the position he is in today in Islanders history, I’m sure he wants more, so hopefully he can get higher [on that list].”

- The Islanders record home overall this season is 5-7-2. Their penalty kill, which has struggled on home ice (51.9%), went 1-for-1 on Tuesday at UBS Arena.

- Noah Dobson’s four game point streak (1G, 3A) and Bo Horvat’s three-game point streak (2G, 2A) came to an end on Tuesday.

- Brock Nelson leads the team with 11 career points (5G, 6A) against the Blackhawks through 17 appearances.

HAWKS NOTES

- Monday’s win over the Rangers put an end to a season-long, five-game losing streak. The Blackhawks stand in seventh in the Central Division with 20 points and a record of 9-17-6.

- Chicago made a change behind the bench on Dec. 5, relieving Luke Richardson from his head coaching duties and elevating Anders Sorensen to interim head coach after he served as head coach for the Blackhawks AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. Sorensen is 1-1-0 since taking over.

- Connor Bedard leads the Hawks in scoring with 21 points (5G, 16A) in his second full NHL season, but his production has dipped this season. After an impressive rookie year that earned him the Calder Trophy for the 2023-24 campaign, the Blackhawks’ 2023 first overall pick went through a 12-game goalless drought from Oct. 28 – Nov. 23.

- After finishing last season in eighth in the Central Division, the Blackhawks were expected to be more competitive this season with offseason signings that included Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen. Bertuzzi, who came over from the Toronto Maple Leafs, has 11 points (6G, 5A) through his first 28 games. Teravainen played with the Blackhawks from 2014-16, spent eight seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes before coming back to the team that drafted him 18th overall in 2012.

- The Blackhawks have struggled offensively overall this year with a 2.39 GF/GP that ranks 31^st in the league, but they have better numbers on special teams. Their power play (23.3%) ranks 11^th in the NHL, while their penalty kill (82.5%) ranks sixth.

- Chicago’s FOW percentage ranks 30^th in the league (44.1%).