Blackhawks Vs Islanders: Projected Lineup, How To Watch, & More Ahead Of Game 5

The Chicago Blackhawks (1-3-0), after just one game at home, are heading back east for one against the New York Islanders (1-2-0). This is a one-game trip. 

The Blackhawks are heading into this match after their first win of the season, a home opener on Tuesday night against the St. Louis Blues.

Following the win, the vibes surrounding the team are trending up. They didn't win by playing poorly and capitalizing on chances; it was a strong, gritty win they can build on. They weren't flawless, but it was a massive improvement over their first three games. 

Scouting New York

The New York Islanders had a surprising start to last season, but ultimately failed to make it to the playoffs. Now, they are going to be a competitive team, but they are not seen as a playoff lock at this point in time. 

Everything that the Islanders do starts and ends with Matthew Schaefer, the defenseman they took with the first overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. He has been even better than advertised, showing signs of an elite two-way defenseman. There is a chance that he is considered one of the five best at that position by the end of the season, if he isn't already.

Schaefer will be relied on even more, as Alexander Romanov is going to be out for the season with an injury. They are going to try to manage Schaefer's minutes as much as they can, including keeping him off the penalty kill as much as they can, but it will be harder with Romanov out. 

Heineman-Horvat-Palmieri

Schenn-Ritchie-Eklund

Holmstrom-Pageau-Duclair

Palat-Cizikas-Maccelli

Stanley-Schaefer

Pelech-Pulock

DeAngelo-Mayfield

Sorokin

Bo Horvat is the leader of this group and will be the driver of offense without Mat Barzal in the lineup due to a short-term injury. It's not the deepest lineup in the league, but they have already shown the ability to be hard on the forecheck, strong defensively, and give high effort on every shift. 

Ilya Sorokin will start in goal for New York. The 31-year-old star goalie is 1-1-0 with a .968 save percentage, a 1.02 goals-against average, and a shutout. He is already on track to have another one of those elite seasons where he competes for the Vezina Trophy. 

A couple of keys for the Blackhawks to beat Sorokin: they must take his eyes away, find a way to beat him a few times, and keep the Islanders from scoring too many goals to overcome. In his career against the Blackhawks, Sorokin is 4-2-1 with a 2.42 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. 

Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago

The Blackhawks are going to be without Teuvo Teravainen in this game against the Islanders. His status for Saturday remains unclear, but they called up Dominic Toninato and put Andrew Mangiapane on injured reserve to make room as a result of Teravainen's injury. 

The lines had to be changed up as a result, and they will look as follows: 

Moore-Nazar-Kane

Bertuzzi-Frondell-Kantserov

Smith-Greene-Greenway

Donato-Toninato-Lardis

Byram-Levshunov

Vlasic-Cole

Kaiser-Rinzel

It is still unclear who will start against the Islanders in net. Spencer Knight is 3-0-0 in his career against New York with a .908 save percentage, while Arvid Soderblom is 0-2-0 with a .925 save percentage. Either choice makes sense. 

With Teravainen out and Toninato in, the latter will take the spot of the fourth-line center. Ryan Greene will slot up, while Oliver Moore will move to the wing and play on the top line with Frank Nazar and Patrick Kane. 

Anton Frondell is a player to keep an eye on in this game. He's been Chicago's best forward so far this season, as he leads all NHL rookies in assists (3) and points (4). Frondell also made his NHL debut late last season against the Islanders, picking up his first career NHL point with an assist. 

Frondell is not the only player with fond memories of playing the Islanders. Against the Islanders, Patrick Kane has 11 career points in 11 career games, Nick Lardis has two goals and two assists in two games, and Alex Vlasic has five assists in his four meetings. 

If the Blackhawks are going to turn their home opening win into a streak, some of these big career performances against the Islanders must continue. 

How To Watch

The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. It can be seen locally on CHSN. Nationally, it can be streamed on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 6:30 PM CT. 

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