The Chicago Blackhawks were the better team on Long Island on Thursday, outshooting, out-chancing, and widely out-possessing the New York Islanders. It was nice to see them on the correct side of the analytics for the first time this season.
Despite their most efficient 60-minute performance, a few untimely mistakes and blunders kept the Blackhawks winless on the road, losing 4-1 to the Islanders at UBS Arena. It didn’t help that the Isles’ standout goaltender Ilya Sorokin was unbeatable until the final moments of the third period.
More in the links for the recap of the Blackhawks’ fourth consecutive road defeat, dropping their record to 1-4-0 in the 2026-27 regular season.
While the result was less than ideal, the process was the best it’s been this year, both offensively and defensively, against the Islanders. The fourth line was terrific once again, while Anton Frondell and Sam Rinzel were individual standouts for the second straight game. Check out the latest batch of Hawks Hits in the links.
Also in Blackhawks news, goaltender Adam Gajan’s early-season plan is now clear, plus a minor update on injured forward Teuvo Teravainen.
Around the league, the Boston Bruins have been linked to Simon Edvinsson, new details have emerged on Brad Marchand’s latest injury, and Logan Stankoven scored a hat trick in a blowout win over the Canucks.
All that & more in the Daily!
Blackhawks Preseason, News & Trade Rumors
Chicago Hockey Now: Make that four straight road losses, but this one wasn’t due to a lack of effort. Ultimately, the Blackhawks didn’t capitalize on their early momentum, as they picked up where they left off from Tuesday’s home-opening win. But they let the Islanders hang around in the first period, then surrendered the first goal shortly before the intermission, and never recovered.
More CHN: The Blackhawks need results, not silver linings, but that’s all they got in Thursday’s 4-1 loss. On a positive note, they led the Islanders in most analytical categories, while the fourth and second lines were effective almost every time they hit the ice. Plus, 19-year-old Anton Frondell continues to look the part, and Sam Rinzel is growing in confidence.
On Thursday afternoon, the Rockford IceHogs officially assigned goaltender Adam Gajan to the ECHL’s Indy Fuel. Had Gajan remained with Rockford, he would have competed with Drew Commesso and Stanislav Berezhnoy for consistent reps, and likely would have been the team’s No. 3 netminder.
Instead, the door has now swung open for the 2023 second-round pick to receive much more playing time in his first pro season. It’s a wise decision from the Blackhawks front office.
Speaking of Blackhawks goaltenders, congratulations to Arvid Soderblom for becoming just the 12th goaltender in franchise history to record 3,000 saves with the club. Poor Soderblom has just one goal of offensive support in his first two starts this season.
Lastly, before the Blackhawks hit the ice for pregame warmups on Long Island, head coach Jeff Blashill provided a brief update on injured winger Teuvo Teravainen, who did not travel with the team for Thursday’s game.
Fortunately, Teravainen’s lower-body injury, which he suffered in the home opener, won’t keep him off the ice for too long. Blashill said the plan is for Teuvo to restart skating in the coming days. When he returns, Dominic Toninato will presumably be re-assigned to Rockford.
Teuvo Teräväinen is expected to restart skating in the next few days, Jeff Blashill said.
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) October 8, 2026
NHL Rumors, News, & National Hockey Now
Sportsnet: Are the Detroit Red Wings open to rebuilding the rebuild? With Simon Edvinsson and Dylan Larkin both unhappy with their current situations, it might be the team’s only option. The latest report on Edvinsson suggests the Red Wings are now open to moving the young defenseman for the right package, although they would still prefer to keep their former first-round pick.
Boston Hockey Now: According to Pierre LeBrun, the Boston Bruins are among the long list of teams showing interest in Edvinsson. Jack Studley writes that the Bruins have the capital to make a trade with the Red Wings happen.
San Jose Hockey Now: No Celebrini, no problem. The San Jose Sharks were without their captain but still defeated the St. Louis Blues 3-2 in overtime on Thursday. Darnell Nurse tallied the overtime winner, and 2026 top draft pick Ivar Stenberg notched the primary assist.
Montreal Hockey Now: The Montreal Canadiens keep circling Dylan Larkin as an ideal second-line center, but actually getting him to Habs is a very different conversation.
Florida Hockey Now: A few days after getting good news on Aleksander Barkov’s injury, the Florida Panthers apparently received an equally positive update on Brad Marchand. According to the latest report, Marchand’s lower-body issue isn’t as serious as once feared.
NHL.com: The Carolina Hurricanes throttled the Vancouver Canucks 7-3 on Thursday, with Logan Stankoven recording his first career hat trick in the win. Entering Saturday’s matchup against the Blackhawks, the Canes are 3-1-1 through five games.
Daily Faceoff: The Seattle Kraken have placed defenseman Ryan Lindgren on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. Lindgren, 28, is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
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