The Chicago Blackhawks are going to take on the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
The Chicago Blackhawks begin a four-game swing on the East Coast on Tuesday, starting with a visit to the New York Islanders. This will be the second and final meeting between the two this season. New York won the first meeting at the United Center 3-2 in a shootout on December 30th.
Each team is NHL .500 in their last 10 games. The Islanders are 5-5-0 and the Blackhawks are 3-3-4. For the Islanders, they are in a battle for playoff positioning. One of the Wild Cards or one of the top two spots in the Metropolitan Division is available to them, but they must earn it over the final month.
Scouting New York
The New York Islanders, regardless of how this ends, should look at this season as a win. They were in a low place at the end of last season, until they won the lottery. They drafted Matthew Schaefer with the first overall pick, and he has completely transformed the franchise.
He is having the greatest season by a teenage defenseman in NHL history. Entering Tuesday’s action, Schaefer has 22 goals and 29 assists for 51 points in 71 games played. Being a responsible defensive defenseman doesn’t suffer in favor of his offense, either. Schaefer is the favorite to win the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie.
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Everything on offense, defense, and special teams starts and ends with Schaefer. With that said, he doesn’t carry the team by himself. For one, Bo Horvat earned himself a spot on Team Canada with his play. His 29 goals lead the team. There is also Mat Barzal, who leads them with 64 points.
Other skaters like Anders Lee, Simon Holmstrom, and the recently acquired Brayden Schenn, amongst others, contribute in secondary scoring roles. There is a nice mix of styles throughout the lineup.
Ilya Sorokin, one of the league’s best goaltenders, will be the backup in this one. The Blackhawks will face David Rittich.
Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago
The Blackhawks are going to have Anton Frondell in the lineup for the first time as he is set to make his NHL debut. Without much time with the team outside of one morning skate, he is already on the top line and first power play unit.
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Frondell is taking the spot of Andre Burskovsky, who slides down to the third line with Ryan Donato and Ilya Mikheyev. This should be a solid veteran depth line going forward, with the young stars truly taking over the top-six.
Ryan Greene and Nick Lardis will continue in their roles that carry more offensive responsibility. Greene has been there for most of the year, while Lardis is new to a full-time top-six role.
Matt Grzelcyk is injured and will miss the entire road trip, so Ethan Del Mastro is getting more of a look again. Behind the defense will be Arvid Soderblom, who played very well in goal last time out.
Teuvo Teravainen is another veteran to see a demotion, but his place on the fourth line is necessary. That line can defend, play hard, and even create some offense based on the names there. It could get another boost when Sacha Boisvert makes his NHL debut on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Arvid Soderblom will start in goal for the Blackhawks. He played well on Friday night despite the team in front of him being outclassed by the Colorado Avalanche. It would have been much worse if he weren't excellent.
More On Anton Frondell's NHL Debut
How To Watch
The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. To view this game, it can be found on CHSN locally. Nationally, it is available to stream on ESPN+. The puck will drop shortly after 6:00 PM CT.
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