Oliver Moore recorded 2 assists in the Chicago Blackhawks loss to the New York Islanders. Chicago is now 1-6-1 in it’s last 8 games.

First Period

The Chicago Blackhawks’ sloppiness from the last game carried over early tonight. First overall pick, Matthew Schaefer, had a great solo effort to create a net front chance for himself. It was only minutes later that Simon Holmstrom set up Caleb Ritchie to break the ice. After Andre Burakovsky was called for a holding penalty, Bo Horvat recorded his 21st goal of the season on the power play. Unlike the game vs Pittsburgh, Chicago fought back. Burakovsky had a turn-around chance in front, and later, Artyom Levshunov was only beaten by the post on a beautiful play. Spencer Knight kept the Blackhawks fighting with a great cross-crease save on an Islanders one-timer. The post kept ringing for Chicago with Colton Dach hitting iron before the period concluded. 

Second Period

The second period started off chippy for the Chicago Blackhawks. Nick Foligno stood up for his teammate and drove Emil Heineman’s head into the ground. Matthew Barzal nearly capitalized on a great solo effort on the ensuing power play. However, Artyom Levshunov tapped into his potential tonight. After a great solo effort, the next shift, Levshunov and Oliver Moore found Teuvo Teravainen to cut the lead in half.

Henieman was the third player to hit the same crossbar on Tuesday. As the Islanders looked to regain their lead, Bo Horvat killed all momentum when he cut open Nick Foligno.

As time wound down in the period, Oliver Moore glanced at the clock, then threw a no-look pass across the ice to Nick Lardis. Lardis made no mistake, burying his second NHL goal as the teams were now even heading into the final frame. 

Story continues below.

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Third Period

The final period was intense, high-octane play for both sides. The tensions boiled over after a hit by Colton Dach after the whistle, resulting in 4-on-4 action. Landon Slaggert and Matthew Schaefer both took rough hits, and Schaefer even collided with the post full speed. Chicago was close to ending the game multiple times in the final frame, including a post shot from Artyom Levshunov. This post shot marks the 6th of the year for the Belarusian defenseman. And Nick Foligno, who had an open cage in front, but hit nothing but pipe. 

Overtime/Shootout 

The Islanders controlled much of the shootout thanks to an Artyom Levshunov tripping call. Despite the penalty, Chicago hung on to salvage a chance in the shootout. 

Bo Horvat was the only goal scorer in the final frame as the Chicago Blackhawks fell to the New York Islanders 3-2 in a shootout.

The Cowboy Round-Up and What’s On Tap

Well, the hits start coming, and they. Don’t. Stop. Coming. First, the positive. Mr. Levshunov, take a bow. Without a doubt, the best and most confident the former second overall pick has looked in his NHL career. He hit the post twice and set up his own chances as well. Plus, an assist for his efforts. Oliver Moore as well. The assist on Nick Lardis’ goal was hockey IQ at its finest. This young team was a centimeter away from a Nick Foligno shot going in. 

Now the bad news. They have no more centers. At the start of this season, Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, and Jason Dickinson made up the top three lines of centers. Tuesday, they are all out. Jason Dickinson picked up an injury that, if serious, would simply debilitate the Chicago Blackhawks until the return of Bedard.

Luckily, this is the last game before the new year, which means a Bedard update is due any day now. He’s not likely to play vs the Dallas Stars on the Jan. 1 of the 2026 calendar year.

On Tap, as previously stated, is the second edition of what I call the “Cowboy Cup”. The Chicago Blackhawks take on the Dallas Stars at the United Center on the first of the year at 7:30 p.m. CT. 

Lastly, the crew here at On Tap wishes you a Happy New Year. Thank you for your support, and see you in 2026!