The Anton Frondell Era started with a bang on Tuesday, as the Chicago Blackhawks took down the New York Islanders 4-3 to kick off their four-game road trip with a win. In Frondell's highly anticipated NHL debut, he skated on the Blackhawks' top line with Connor Bedard and Ryan Greene, with the three forwards having a combined age of 60 years old.
The Youth Movement is now in FULL effect for the Blackhawks down the stretch of the regular season. Frondell recorded his first NHL point in Long Island, Nick Lardis tallied his first career three-point effort, and Frank Nazar also had a multi-point game.
However, getting across the finish line in the lead would not have been possible without Arvid Soderblom , who stole the show in Frondell's first look with the Blackhawks. Soderblom stopped 44 of 47 shots faced, including 21 of 23 in the third period, when the Islanders were coming with a late surge.
More in the links for the recap from the 4-3 win at UBS Arena.
Also in Blackhawks news, the NCAA Tournament is right around the corner, while Sacha Boisvert 's visa situation has finally been resolved. Top prospect Roman Kantserov also had a strong showing in his opening game of the 2026 KHL postseason.
Around the league, Connor McDavid hit another milestone, Carter Yakemchuk also had an emphatic NHL debut with Ottawa , while Filip Forsberg and the Predators remain red-hot.
All that & more in the Daily!
Chicago Hockey Now: As it turns out, Nick Lardis is better suited in a top-six role. Who could have guessed? Meanwhile, Arvid Soderblom had arguably his best outing of the season, as he was credited with 2.60 goals saved above expected. Lardis and Soderblom stole the show in Anton Frondell's NHL debut, leading the Blackhawks to a 4-3 win over New York.
More CHN: Along with Frondell, fellow first-round pick Sacha Boisvert was on the ice for the morning skate on Tuesday. Boisvert finally was granted his work visa, meaning his NHL debut will also occur sometime during the Blackhawks' four-game road trip.
More CHN: The 2026 NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament begins on Thursday, and three Blackhawks' prospects still have their National Championship hopes alive. Check out which prospects look to help guide their respective programs to the Frozen Four in Las Vegas.
In KHL news, Roman Kantserov's quest for a second Gagarin Cup title in three years got off to a promising start on Tuesday. Kantserov netted his first goal of the postseason and added a primary assist in Metallurg Magnitogorsk's 4-1 win. Game 2 of the opening-round series against Sibir on Thursday.
The Athletic: Radko Gudas isn't known for being kind on the ice, but he showed some remorse recently in the locker room when discussing Auston Matthews ' season-ending injury. Gudas, who served a five-game suspension, knows he has to learn from this incident and said he feels terrible for hurting the Maple Leafs' captain.
Sportsnet: In the Edmonton Oilers ' 5-2 win over the Utah Mammoth , Connor McDavid reached another set of milestones. McDavid tallied his 400th career goal as part of the two-goal night and also became the third-fastest player to reach 1,200 career points, behind only Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.
Florida Hockey Now: Speaking of milestones, Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice joined Scotty Bowman as the only bench bosses to reach 2,000 NHL games. Florida took down the Seattle Kraken 5-4 in the shootout on Tuesday to give Maurice the win in his 2,000th game behind the bench.
NHL.com: Anton Frondell wasn't the only player with a spectacular NHL debut on Tuesday, as Carter Yakemchuk scored his first career goal and added an assist in a 3-2 win for the Ottawa Senators . With the victory over the Detroit Red Wings , the Senators vaulted into the second Wild Card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Detroit Hockey Now: On the other end of the result, the Detroit Red Wings are now on the outside of the playoff picture following the loss on home ice to Ottawa. The Red Wings are in control of their own destiny, but their postseason chances are moving in the wrong direction.
More NHL.com: The Nashville Predators remained red-hot on Tuesday, and so too did star forward Filip Forsberg. The Predators defeated the San Jose Sharks 6-3 behind another three-point performance from Forsberg. Don't look now, but Nashville has won five straight games and has a three-point cushion for the final Wild Card spot in the West.
San Jose Hockey Now: The San Jose Sharks playoff chances also took a hit with the 6-3 loss to the Predators at Bridgestone Arena.
ESPN: Zach Werenski potted his 21st goal of the season, as the Columbus Blue Jackets kept cookin' and defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday. Columbus is now second in the Metropolitan Division. They were the 28th-ranked team in the NHL standings when Rick Bowness took over as head coach on Jan. 12.
New York Post: Just like Frondell, Victor Eklund is heading to the United States now that Djurgardens SHL season has come to an end. Eklund, the 16th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft by the New York Islanders, is expected to make his professional debut at the AHL level with Bridgeport.
For more Blackhawks news, visit Chicago Hockey Now and like our Facebook Page .
Follow us on X:
The post Jack's Daily: Blackhawks Win Frondell's Debut; Boisvert News; McDavid's Milestone appeared first on Chicago Hockey Now .
