The Chicago Blackhawks left UBS Arena with nothing to show for one of their cleaner performances of the season, falling 4-1 to the New York Islanders on Thursday despite controlling plenty of the play for long stretches.
Chicago spent much of the night driving the action at 5v5 and finished with the edge in shot attempts, shots on goal and scoring chances. But the Blackhawks couldn’t turn that pressure into goals against Ilya Sorokin, and the Islanders made them pay with a few ruthless swings at the right moments.
Bo Horvat did the damage twice, while Emil Heineman and Anthony Duclair also scored for New York. Frank Nazar scored Chicago’s lone goal late in the third period with Arvid Soderblom pulled for the extra attacker.
The first period told the story of what the Blackhawks wanted to be and what they couldn’t quite finish. They moved the puck well, won races to loose pucks and kept the Islanders pinned back for long stretches.
New York managed just one even-strength shot in 13:57 during the period. Still, Chicago never found a way past Sorokin, and Oliver Moore’s hooking penalty at 18:58 opened the door for the Islanders to grab the lead.
Horvat needed only five seconds on the power play to make it 1-0, finishing off Matthew Schaefer’s rebound at 19:03. That goal carried New York into the intermission with an advantage it had barely earned at even strength.
Chicago kept pushing after that, but the second period broke the game open. Cole Smith had a partial breakaway early and tried to beat Sorokin with a backhand, but the goaltender stayed with it and turned him away.
A little later, the Islanders struck again after a sequence that went badly for the Blackhawks. Sam Rinzel snapped his stick and headed off for a replacement, and before he could recover his spot, Matias Maccelli won a puck battle against Wyatt Kaiser and found Heineman alone in the slot.
Heineman beat Soderblom blocker-side at 6:44.
Less than three minutes later, Duclair made it 3-0, finishing a pass from Logan Stanley into an open net at 9:38. The Blackhawks had some good shifts in the frame, but the Islanders were far more efficient when chances appeared.
By the numbers, Chicago actually had the better of the possession battle at even strength, leading 47-30 in shot attempts, 20-13 in shots on goal and 23-15 in scoring chances. Through two periods, the Blackhawks were also ahead 16-13 in shots on goal, 18-11 in scoring chances and 6-5 in high-danger chances. None of it changed the scoreboard.
The Blackhawks finally got Sorokin late in the third when Patrick Kane set up Nazar in the slot with 2:43 left. Nazar’s second goal of the season cut it to 3-1, and he and Rinzel each extended their point streaks to two games. But the comeback never had enough time to get real traction.
Horvat closed it out with an empty-netter from his own end at 18:27 for his second goal of the night.
Chicago is now 1-4-0 and has dropped four straight on the road. The team has shown steady improvement since the 6-0 loss to the Mammoth in Utah seven days ago, and there were signs Thursday that Jeff Blashill’s system is starting to take hold. But the Blackhawks need points, not just progress, and they’re staring at a tough one next.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes visit the United Center on Saturday, with puck drop set for 6:00 p.m. CT.
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