NEW YORK — The New York Islanders beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 to even its record at 2-2 on the young season, pulling away with two quick goals in the second period. The Islanders converted counterattacks against a loose Blackhawks defense to take control, and Ilya Sorokin was there when needed to keep the lead secure.
Bo Horvat scored twice to lead the offense, opening the scoring on the power play and closing it with an empty-netter. Emil Heineman added a rifle aided by a Horvat screen, and Anthony Duclair got on the board after a snuffed partial breakaway led to a setup from Logan Stanley.
Stanley paired with Matthew Schaefer in the wake of Alex Romanov's season-ending injury and has four assists in four games after signing at the conclusion of preseason. The run of play was not lopsided overall, but the Islanders' quick pair in the middle period put the game fairly out of reach against a Chicago team that does not have many guns to threaten a comeback.
Shenanigans marked the final goal when Frank Nazar went for a shoulder check to the head of Horvat as the Islanders captain released his empty-net shot from the New York zone. Nazar received a match penalty and J-G Pageau took on Tyler Bertuzzi in the aftermath, before Wyatt Kaiser took a shot at Heineman that drew objection from Duclair. Kaiser and Duclair received matching roughing penalties and the rest of the game was a formality. Horvat was sent to the dressing room for evaluation as a spotter precaution but appeared fine. New York hosts the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. EDT start.