Takeaways: Islanders Pull Off 3-2 SO Win Over Blackhawks

The New York Islanders beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in a shootout in a gutsy effort on Tuesday night at United Center.

Bo Horvat was the lone scorer in the shootout which took the two points for the Islanders after a scoreless overtime. Cal Ritchie and Horvat (PPG) built a 2-0 lead for the Isles by the 12:08 mark of the first period, but the Blackhawks battled back as Teuvo Teravainen and Nick Lardis found the back of the net and force the extra frame. David Rittich made 17 of 19 saves in his fifth straight start for the win, while Spencer Knight made 19 saves in the SO loss.

Head Coach Patrick Roy said it was not his team’s best game – he cited his team’s transitions and puck movement as not being as sharp as usual, but they found a way to win with enough of a defensive effort. The Islanders (48 points) narrowed the gap between themselves and the first-place Carolina Hurricanes (51 points) who lost 5-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night.

“It’s a long year, and you have to find a way to win those games,” Roy said after the win. “At the end of the year, we’re going to look at the standings and maybe say that was a big two points. Let’s put this one in our bag, it’s a win, let’s be ready for Utah in two days.”

TAKEAWAYS

- Horvat won the game for the Islanders in the shootout, as he moved in on Knight with full speed, slowed down and stopped before he fired off a quick wrister.

“I just tried to throw something different, coming in on my normal side, and thankfully it ended up working out,” Horvat said. “Just trying to change my speed as I got closer and thankfully it went in.”

- Rittich faced 19 shots on goal and said the low shot volume impacted his game, coupled with the quality chances Chicago mustered, but he kept the Islanders in the game.

“It was not an easy game, not many shots were coming at me,” Rittich said. “When we gave up something, it was grade-A multiple times, so not the easiest game for myself, but those two points are important for us.”

- Rittich has been carrying the workload since Ilya Sorokin was placed on IR, missing the last five games. Rittich has made 130 saves on 138 shots (.942 SV%) over that span. He credited his strength coaches he worked with over the summer for being able to handle the workload.

“I’m feeling great, I’m enjoying every second,” Rittich said.

- The Islanders have been struggling offensively with 11 goals in their last six games (1.83 GAA) entering Tuesday’s game, but they came out of the gate with two quick goals in the first. Despite building a lead early, the players and Roy felt that they allowed too many quality chances. After the Isles built a 2-0 lead, the Blackhawks battled back. After a Blackhawks faceoff win in the Isles zone, Teravainen finished off a crisp passing sequence to get the Blackhawks on the board, 2-1 at the 15:31 mark of the second period. Horvat took a double minor for tripping at the end of the second period and the Blackhawks took advantage and used the man advantage to tie the game. Lardis’ blast from the right dot beat Rittich over his left shoulder with three seconds left in the second period.

- Horvat brought some life to the power play, which was converting at 6.6% (1-for-15) in their last six games entering Tuesday’s game, with his sixth power-play goal of the season. Horvat earned the Iron Man mask for player of the game for a goal in regulation and the shootout. Horvat also took three shots and laid three hits in 23:02 TOI.

- Ritchie had a jump in his step after he was a healthy scratch on Sunday night against Columbus, as the 20-year-old center scored the first goal for the Isles early into the contest. He got open in the slot for Simon Holmstrom’s pass and beat Knight stick side 2:56 into the game.

“He’s somebody that keeps getting better as he grows and tonight he was great for us,” Horvat said of Ritchie. “He got us going there in the first period and continued to play well after that.”

- With a secondary assist on Horvat’s first period power-play goal, Matthew Schaefer became the youngest defenseman in NHL history to reach 25 points. He leads all rookie defensemen in scoring and power-play points (12).

- Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock each played in their 600^th NHL game.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders return home and will take on the Utah Mammoth as the calendar flips to 2026. Puck drop is at 3PM at UBS Arena.