The Blackhawks travelled to New York tonight to face the Islanders for the first time this season. The biggest question in this game would be whether the Hawks could recapture their recent winning ways after a disappointing New Year’s Day loss to the Bruins on national television.
The Blackhawks lines and pairings:
Brandon Saad–Jonathan Toews–Dominik Kahun
Artem Anisimov–Dylan Strome–Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat–David Kampf–Dylan Sikura
John Hayden–Marcus Kruger–Brendan Perlini
Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook
Collin Delia took the net for Chicago, facing off against Robin Lehner for the Isle.
FIRST PERIOD
The Islanders took control early on, maintaining sustained offensive zone pressure on the Hawks and Delia. Yet at 3:05, right after Chicago registered their first shot on net, a redirect of a Duncan Keith shot by Brandon Saad, Dominik Kahun scooped up the rebound and put it home past Lehner. 1-0 Chicago.
The Islanders came right back with a goal of their own at 6:47, when Delia gave up a fat rebound off a Johnny Boychuk point blast that Mathew Barzal swatted out of midair past the Chicago netminder, high glove side. 1-1.
Delia made a number of solid saves over the rest of the period—and he had to as the Isle outshot the Hawks 14-3 in the first.
SECOND PERIOD
Action in the middle period was largely back and forth.
Each team was able to log sustained offensive zone time and generate some good chances. The Islanders appeared to take the lead on another midair swat of a rebound, this time by Cal Clutterbuck, at 13:40. However, the goal was overruled by replay as being hit by a high stick.
After that point, the tempo picked up with several chances for both teams.
As is too often the case, Gustav Forsling took a defensive zone penalty at 18:35. Sure enough, Barzal struck again after Delia lost his stick at 18:56. 2-1 Islanders.
The period would end with shots 16-13 for New York, 30-16 in favor of the Isle through two periods.
THIRD PERIOD
Brock Nelson took a penalty at 4:23, which led to the tying goal for Chicago, a Patrick Kane slapshot from the right circle at 5:01. 2-2.
Duncan Keith took an obvious hooking penalty on Barzal at 16:49, giving the Isle the perfect opportunity to regain the lead and win the game. But the Hawks killed the penalty, thanks mostly to some solid and tenacious penalty kill defense from Connor Murphy and Carl Dahlstrom.
Regulation ended 2-2. The Hawks got the road point, thanks mostly to Delia’s heroics, despite being outshot 48-19 through three periods.
OVERTIME
Delia was the hard luck loser in OT when Devon Toews blasted home a rebound of his own shot, which drew Delia out of the net. 3-2 New York, final.
THE GOOD
Overall, Delia was yet again outstanding.
The Toews line played well most of the night, and was the Hawks’ best offensively.
THE BAD
The Hawks were absolutely destroyed in the faceoff dot, losing 38 of 56 draws in regulation, with only David Kampf above 50%.
Dylan Sikura rode the bench much of the third period.
The DeBrincat-Kampf-Sikura line had one shot on goal through the first two periods, and were pushed around and off pucks all night by the Islanders.
THE UGLY
Forsling and Erik Gustafson continue to be an “adventure” in terms of actual “defending,” hence part of the lop-sided shot totals for the home team.
WRAP UP
The Hawks were lucky to have salvaged a point in this game, and were it not for Delia, they wouldn’t have.