3 Takeaways From Blackhawks’ 4-1 Road Loss to the Islanders

The Chicago Blackhawks have yet to find themselves victorious on the road this season, including the preseason. Good news: Chicago has a stretch of seven consecutive games at the United Center, where they’re undefeated.

Here are three takeaways from the 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders.

Production on Forward Lines

Teuvo Teravainen did not play on Thursday after suffering what appeared to be an ankle injury in the home opener against the St. Louis Blues. Dominic Toninato took his place on the third line.

The Hawks moved Roman Kantserov to the second line with Anton Frondell and Tyler Bertuzzi, and that line had a nice night. They skated really well together and generated some quality chances. Frondell continues to stay hot offensively, leading all NHL rookies with four points (one goal, three assists) in scoring over a week into the season.

Despite what the scoreline suggests, this was the Hawks’ best road game. They showed better puck movement and generated quality scoring chances but struggled to finish. They had more chances on 5-on-5 with a 22-15 advantage, but Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin had a great night.

“Obviously, you play a certain way for a while, and you need to adjust. You need to find ways to create. You need to find ways to find your teammates. It hasn’t really been there the first five,” forward Patrick Kane said (from ‘Patrick Kane, Blackhawks offense feeling ‘out of sync’ after another loss,’ New York Times, Oct. 9, 2026).

Frank Nazar’s Impact

The lone goal for Chicago was from Frank Nazar with an empty net with around 2:30 left in the 3rd. Kane found Nazar in the inner slot, and he released a wrist shot to break Sorokin’s shutout bid.

Soon after, there was a scrum after Nazar appeared to hit Islanders captain Bo Horvat up high after he shot at the empty net to ice the game. Nazar was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct, and because it’s a hit to the head, there’s likely to be further discipline from the league coming.

Nazar isn’t known for being a dirty player. After the hit, I noticed his body language being apologetic as the officials reviewed whether the penalty would extend to a game misconduct along with five minutes.

His impact in the absence of Connor Bedard is being felt around the team. If he’s further disciplined, his absence will be felt as well with how good he’s looked in the early parts of the season as one of Chicago’s top young players. “I thought we were the better team, and we beat ourselves,” head coach Jeff Blashill said.

Is Drew Commesso Chicago’s Backup for the Future?

Spencer Knight is Chicago’s top goalie; that part is a given. He was great in the home opener and was the number one star of the game.

Arvid Soderblom has performed below expectations not just to start this season, but over the past few years he’s served as a backup to Petr Mrazek and eventually Knight. Chicago has Drew Commesso with their American Hockey League affiliate, the Rockford Icehogs, and Adam Gajan in their ECHL affiliate, the Indy Fuel.

Good news: a young team having young goalies in the prospect system looking to eventually get NHL ice time. The question is, when?

Soderblom might be traded at the deadline in March, and judging by his numbers and performance over the past few years, it should be obvious to general manager Kyle Davidson and the Hawks that it’s time to move forward with Commesso serving as Knight’s backup.

Commesso signed a two-year, $1.75 million contract on July 6.

Chicago now starts a stretch of seven straight in front of their home crowd at the United Center. They’re undefeated at home, 3-0 including the preseason, so this homestead could very well make or break their season.