The New York Islanders take on the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center tonight. Here are the projected/expected lineups sourced from NHL.com staff writers, independent correspondents, and others.
ISLANDERS (21-14-4) at BLACKHAWKS (14-18-6)
8:30 p.m. ET; CHSN, MSGSN, NHLN
Islanders projected lineup
Emil Heineman — Bo Horvat — Mathew Barzal
Anders Lee — Jean-Gabriel Pageau — Jonathan Drouin
Maxim Shabanov — Calum Ritchie — Simon Holmstrom
Anthony Duclair — Casey Cizikas — Marc Gatcomb
Matthew Schaefer — Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech — Tony DeAngelo
Marshall Warren — Scott Mayfield
David Rittich
Marcus Hogberg
Scratched: Maxim Tsyplakov, Kyle MacLean, Adam Boqvist
Injured: Ilya Sorokin (lower body), Kyle Palmieri (ACL), Alexander Romanov (upper body), Semyon Varlamov (knee)
Status report
Horvat and Barzal will be reunited on the Islanders’ top line. … Rittich will make his fifth straight start with Sorokin not ready to return.
Latest for THW:
- NHL Morning Recap – December 29, 2025
- Blue Jackets Defeat Islanders With Late Third Period Rally
- Islanders Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines – Sorokin, Rittich, Horvat and More
Blackhawks projected lineup
Tyler Bertuzzi — Ryan Greene — Andre Burakovsky
Teuvo Teravainen — Oliver Moore – Nick Lardis
Ryan Donato — Jason Dickinson — Ilya Mikheyev
Nick Foligno — Colton Dach — Landon Slaggert
Alex Vlasic — Louis Crevier
Wyatt Kaiser — Artyom Levshunov
Matt Grzelcyk — Connor Murphy
Spencer Knight
Arvid Soderblom
Scratched: Ethan Del Mastro, Sam Lafferty
Injured: Connor Bedard (upper body), Frank Nazar (face)
Status report
Knight will start after being pulled in the first period of a 7-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, when he gave up four goals in the first period; he returned to play the third period. … Mikheyev will play after missing two games for family reasons. … The Blackhawks assigned forward Dominic Toninato to Rockford of the American Hockey League on Monday.
Latest for THW:
- 5 Positives From the Blackhawks’ 7-3 Loss to the Penguins
- NHL Morning Recap – December 29, 2025
- Penguins Season-High 7 Goals Sinks Blackhawks in 7-3 Win
