Game Preview: Islanders vs Blackhawks

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (1-2-0) VS CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (1-3-0)

7:30 P.M. | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

HOW TO WATCH/STREAM: MSGSN, MSG+ ON DAZN

HOW TO LISTEN: 88.7 FM WRHU | 103.9FM LI NEWS | 92.5FM THE BEACON | ISLES + UBS ARENA APP

The New York Islanders are back at UBS Arena for the first of two meetings with the Chicago Blackhawks when the two teams face off on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

The Islanders dropped their last game 5-2 to the New York Rangers – a one-goal game until the final two minutes of the third period – as Bo Horvat and Cal Ritchie each recorded a goal. Brayden Schenn had two assists and Semyon Varlamov made 19 saves in his first regular season game since Nov. 29, 2024.

Read a full game recap here.

The Blackhawks picked up their first win of the season on Tuesday by beating the St. Louis Blues 4-2 as 2025 third-overall pick Anton Frondell and Frank Nazar each had a goal and an assist.

Notably for Chicago, forward Teuvo Teravainen – who was fifth on the team in scoring last season with 35 points – exited the game against St. Louis in the second period with a lower body injury. Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill announced Teravainen will not travel for the meeting with the Islanders according to NHL.com correspondent Bruce Miles.

The Blackhawks remain without 21-year-old standout Connor Bedard, who had shoulder surgery in July after an offseason injury.

The Islanders and Blackhawks split the season series in 2025-26 and played two one-goal games including a 3-2 shootout win for the Isles.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Thursday’s game.

ROMANOV OUT 6-8 MONTHS

Defenseman Alexander Romanov sustained a torn ACL in his right knee in the third period against the Rangers and will undergo surgery to repair it. The 26-year-old will miss six to eight months as a result.

PROJECTED LINEUP

Here’s how the Islanders lined up against the Rangers on Tuesday. Stay tuned following Thursday’s morning skate for updated lines.

With Romanov missing an extended period, expect Scott Mayfield or Matt Kessel to factor into the defensive pairings.

LONGTIME SWEDISH TEAMMATES FACE OFF

Frondell and Victor Eklund’s relationship goes back years as the pair came up through the Djurgårdens organization together.

They played together with Djurgårdens from U16 through the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) in 2025-26, a byproduct of their performances that allowed them to win Sweden’s tier-2 HockeyAllsvenskan in 2024-25 and be promoted to the SHL.

Eklund won Allsvenskan’s Best Junior award with 19 goals and 31 points which paced all U20 players in the league. Frondell meanwhile had the most points by a U18 player that season and won rookie of the year.

They also won the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship together on a loaded Sweden team and will play against each other for the first time at the NHL level.

Frondell currently leads Chicago with four points (1G, 3A) in four games this season. Eklund has two points (1G, 1A) in three games with the Islanders this season.

BLACKHAWKS OFFSEASON ADDITIONS

The Blackhawks have finished last in the Western Conference Central Division each of the last four seasons and it’s allowed them to stockpile young talent with Frondell, Bedard, 2024 second-overall pick Artyom Levshunov and rookie forward Roman Kantserov.

They’ve surrounded their young core with three-time Stanley Cup winner Patrick Kane who’s back for his second stint with the Blackhawks. The 37-year-old Kane – who has the NHL record for most points by an American-born player – signed a two-year deal to reunite in Chicago.

Arguably the most significant offseason move Chicago General Manager Kyle Davidson made was acquiring defenseman Bowen Byram and forward Jordan Greenway from the Buffalo Sabres for defenseman Louis Crevier, the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a 2026 second-round pick.

Chicago then extended Byram with a six-year, $75 million deal which will make him the second-highest paid defenseman behind Cale Makar next season.