Despite getting outshot 23-5 over the final 20 minutes, the Chicago Blackhawks (27-31-13) hung on to defeat the New York Islanders (40-27-5) 4-3 on Tuesday at UBS Arena, kicking off their four-game East Coast road trip on a high note.
While all the attention, from a Blackhawks perspective, at least, was on 2025 No. 3 overall pick Anton Frondell for his NHL debut, it was backup goaltender Arvid Soderblom who stole the show on Tuesday in Long Island. Thanks to a sensational effort from Soderblom, who stopped 44 of 47 shots faced and was credited with 2.60 goals saved above expected, the Blackhawks survived a scary third-period push from an Isles squad that's fighting for its playoff lives.
Ahead 4-1 entering the second intermission, the Blackhawks made the critical mistake of sitting back and trying to drain out the clock in the final frame, which nearly cost them the win. Even with a remarkably young group in the locker room, they still should know better by now. Especially against a team as desperate as New York. Fortunately, Soderblom has faced plenty of rubber recently and didn't seem to be overwhelmed by the onslaught he saw late in the game.
After facing a whopping 49 shots in Friday's loss to Colorado , where he made 45 saves, Soderblom stepped up again and single-handedly got his team across the line against the Islanders. While Simon Holmstrom and Calum Ritchie snuck the puck by him in the third period, cutting Chicago's lead to only one, Soderblom made more than a few high-caliber saves to secure the victory. In the end, stopping 21 of 23 shots in the period was enough to get the job done.
In his last two outings, Soderblom has now faced 96 total shots and stopped 89 of them. That gives him a .927 save percentage during this mini-stretch, in which he's also totaled 3.75 goals saved above expected. Over his last five starts, the 26-year-old has now posted a .918 save percentage or better three times.
With the way Tuesday's game wrapped up, the terrific work done by the Blackhawks' youth movement in the first two periods was a little overshadowed. Among the group of standouts that helped generate the 4-1 lead, rookie Nick Lardis was unquestionably the most impactful skater through 40 minutes, as he scored for the second straight game and added two assists for his first career three-point game.
Surprise, surprise. When Lardis actually plays in the top six, alongside fellow offensive-minded players, he starts producing. Following what head coach Jeff Blashill called his "best game" as an NHLer on Sunday against Nashville , where Lardis received his first look on the second line with Tyler Bertuzzi and Frank Nazar for a full game, the 2023 third-round pick pieced together an even better performance in that spot in Long Island.
For the second game in a row, Lardis and Nazar flashed some superb chemistry, as they set each other up for their goals on Tuesday. Nazar earned the primary assist on Lardis' goal, and vice versa. Nazar also tallied two points in the win, and he's surely appreciated having a swift skater like Lardis that can keep up with him in transition.
Then, there's Mr. Frondell, who joined Connor Bedard and Ryan Greene on the top line for his debut. It didn't take long for Frondell to make his mark on the game, as he sprung Ilya Mikheyev for a breakaway goal in the first period, giving him his first career NHL point via the primary assist.
At times, it looked like Frondell was just trying to keep up with his linemates, which isn't too surprising, considering his lack of practice time and quick transition from Sweden. Just three days ago, he was playing for his hometown SHL club, Djurgardens, and focused on helping them advance to the second round of the playoffs.
But there certainly were a few moments on Tuesday where Frondell's skill and raw two-way talent were on full display. One of those came in the third period, when he made an excellent play to strip Islanders' standout rookie Matthew Schaefer , who was selected two picks ahead of Frondell in 2025, at the Blackhawks' blue line, and then joined the rush for a quality shot on the other end of the ice.
Altogether, Frondell recorded one assist, two shots on goal, five shot attempts, and two blocked shots in 15:44 of ice time in his first look with the Blackhawks. Perhaps more than anything, it was entertaining to watch Frondell and Bedard, two cornerstones of the rebuild, hit the ice together for the first time and go to work. After all, that could be 1-2 punch for years to come at the top of the forward group.
Here are the highlights from the Blackhawks' 4-3 win over the Islanders, moving their record to 27-31-13 through 71 games. 11 more to go.
Frondell and the top line got the start on Tuesday, and Bedard courtiously let the newbie take the game's opening faceoff, which he lost to Bo Horvat . And with that, hopefully, a long and successful career for Frondell in Chicago begins.
The Islanders quickly spoiled the party in the opening minute, as Anders Lee deflected Matthew Schaefer's shot from the blue line past Soderblom at 0:49. 1-0, New York, just like that. Artyom Levshunov lost possession quickly down low, and the puck found the back of the net just seconds later.
The Blackhawks were on their heels for the entire first half of the period, but a game-tying goal from Nick Lardis at 12:46 seemed to get them going. After Frank Nazar and Tyler failed to get a shot on net during a 2-on-0 rush, Nazar regained control behind the Islanders' net and found Lardis streaking down the slot for his seventh goal of the season. 1-1. It's also Lardis' second goal in as many games.
Frondell helped the Blackhawks take a 2-1 lead with his first career NHL point, springing Ilya Mikheyev for a breakaway with a crisp pass at center ice. Mikheyev beat Rittich five-hole for his 14th goal of the season at 18:06, with Frondell recording the primary assist. The first of many for the kid.
In the final minute of the period, the Blackhawks added a third unanswered goal, as Tyler Bertuzzi put home a loose puck off Alex Vlasic 's shot from the point for his 29th goal of the season at 19:31. Lardis also registered his second point of the period with the secondary assist.
It was a nightmarish start for the Blackhawks, with the Islanders ahead 18-3 in scoring chances at one point while holding a 1-0 lead. But a sharp response by the visitors turned that one-goal deficit into a two-goal advantage through 20 minutes. New York led 13-12 in shots on goal and 19-9 in scoring chances.
With an excellent all-around effort, Lardis secured his third point of the game to help the Blackhawks extend their lead to 4-1 at 6:02 of the second period. Lardis got in on the forecheck, forced a turnover behind the Isles' net, and then found Nazar in the slot for a one-timer, giving him 12 goals on the season. Nazar also picks up his second point of the night. How about FIVE points between him and Lardis?!
The Blackhawks held onto their 4-1 lead through the remainder of the period, but it wouldn't have been possible without a few standout saves from Soderblom. Arguably, his best save of the second came on a one-timer from Horvat, who found space in the slot and belted a shot on target. Soderblom slid across to the left post, somehow making the save to keep his team ahead by three.
While the Blackhawks led on the scoreboard, the Islanders had the advantage in nearly every stat category. New York was ahead 24-19 in shots on goal, 30-20 in scoring chances, and 17-10 in high-danger chances. Soderblom was spectacular through 40 minutes.
As they did in the first and second periods, the Islanders opened up the third with a charge, and Soderblom was tested early and often. Just a few minutes in, Kyle MacLean had a tremendous chance to cut the Blackhawks' lead to two, but Soderblom somehow made a sprawling save to turn the puck aside.
With how strong the Islanders' surge was to start the period, it felt inevitable that they were going to chip into their deficit at some point. Eventually, that proved to be the case, as Holmstrom finally beat Soderblom at 8:45 after a failed clear by the Blackhawks. 4-2, with a little over 11 minutes remaining.
As the home-side push continued, the Blackhawks' lead was cut down to one at 16:37. Calum Ritchie pushed the puck across the goal line after Carson Soucy 's shot from the blue line trickled through Soderblom's gear. At this point, shots on goal in the period were 19-5 in favor of New York. Chicago was putting on a clinic on how NOT to close out a hockey game.
The finish was far too dicey, but the Blackhawks, thanks to Soderblom, barely held off the Islanders' late charge and secured the 4-3 win. The final horn sounded, sending the Islanders to a painful loss for their playoff hopes.
The Blackhawks will look to build off this momentum as the road trip continues into Philadelphia on Thursday. There's a chance that another young player will make his NHL debut that night, as Sacha Boisvert finally received his work visa on Tuesday morning. Boisvert has been patiently waiting over the last eight days, but his first look in the big leagues could come against the Flyers.
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The post Blackhawks Survive Late Islanders Push, Soderblom & Lardis Shine in 4-3 Win appeared first on Chicago Hockey Now .
