Islanders erupt in third period and then hold on to beat Blackhawks
NEW YORK -- Simon Holmstrom had a goal and two assists, Noah Dobson had a goal and an assist, and the New York Islanders held on to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 on Thursday night.
Dennis Cholowski, Bo Horvat, and Max Tsyplakov also scored for New York, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau had three assists. Ilya Sorokin made 27 saves as the Islanders improved to 3-2-1 in their last six games.
Tyler Bertuzzi scored twice, Connor Bedard had a goal and an assist, and T.J. Brodie also scored for Chicago, which has lost six of seven. Arvid Soderblom made 14 saves for Chicago before he was replaced by Drew Commesso, making his NHL debut, at 7:58 of the third period. Commesso finished with two saves.
Holmstrom gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead with 5:54 left in the second period, and Dobson, Horvat, and Tsyplakov each scored in a 2:17 span early in the third period to push the lead to 5-1.
Brodie pulled the Blackhawks to 5-2 with just under 9 minutes remaining, and Bertuzzi scored twice a minute apart to make it a one-goal game with 1:10 to go.
TAKEAWAYS
Islanders: New York continued experimenting with its forward combinations throughout the game, searching for better chemistry. Reinforcements could arrive soon as Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair practiced in regular jerseys before the game.
Blackhawks: Chicago's penalty kill, ranked sixth in the NHL, shut down the Islanders' three power-play opportunities.
KEY MOMENT
Islanders coach Patrick Roy gathered his team during a second-period television timeout and delivered a passionate speech. New York responded with four straight goals, putting the game out of reach.
KEY STAT
New York gave up another power-play goal, dropping its penalty kill to 15 for 29 at home this season.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks visit New Jersey on Saturday to finish a three-game trip, and Islanders visit Chicago on Sunday to open a three-game trip.
