Frondell Picks Up First NHL Point in Debut as Blackhawks Score Four Straight to Beat Islanders 4-3

Game Summary

The Anton Frondell era started Tuesday night at UBS Arena, and it started with a point. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft — recalled from Djurgårdens IF earlier in the day — picked up his first career NHL assist on a first-period goal, and the Blackhawks rattled off four unanswered goals to beat the New York Islanders 4-3. Nick Lardis had a goal and two assists, Frank Nazar and Tyler Bertuzzi each had a goal and an assist, and Arvid Soderblom was outstanding with 44 saves. The Blackhawks improve to 27-31-13 and snap a two-game skid.

It didn't start well. Anders Lee deflected a Matthew Schaefer point shot past Soderblom just 49 seconds into the game to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead. But Chicago answered with three straight before the first intermission. Lardis tied it at 12:46 after a wild sequence — Nazar and Bertuzzi had a 2-on-none breakaway but couldn't convert, and Nazar recovered the loose puck and found Lardis darting to the net for his 7th of the year. Then at 18:06, Frondell found Mikheyev down the left wing on a 3-on-2 rush, and Mikheyev got behind the defense and beat David Rittich blocker side for a 2-1 lead. Bertuzzi made it 3-1 with 29 seconds left in the period, tapping in a rebound off an Alex Vlasic one-timer from the left point. Rittich was pulled after allowing three goals on 12 shots. Ilya Sorokin came in to start the second.

Nazar pushed it to 4-1 at 6:02 of the second after Lardis stole the puck behind the Islanders' net and fed Nazar for a one-timer from the top of the right circle. It was his 12th of the season, tying his career high. From there, the Islanders spent the rest of the night trying to claw back. Simon Holmstrom cut it to 4-2 at 8:45 of the third, and Calum Ritchie made it 4-3 at 16:37 after a Carson Soucy point shot snuck through. New York threw 23 shots at Soderblom in the third period alone, but the Hawks held on.

Three Stars

The New-Look Roster

All three stars were Blackhawks. That hasn't happened much this season. The second line of Bertuzzi, Nazar, and Lardis combined for three goals and four assists — and more importantly, they drove the game. Lardis's puck steal behind the net to set up Nazar's goal was the kind of play that shows how far these young forwards have come in terms of competitiveness. Nazar's career-high-tying 12th goal is the cherry on top of a strong month. Bertuzzi continues to produce — his 29th goal gives him 51 points on the season, his second time hitting 50 in his career.

And then there's Frondell. Blashill said before the game that he was going to throw him into the fire, and he did — top-line right wing next to Bedard and Greene, 15:43 of ice time, 18 shifts. The assist on Mikheyev's goal was the headline moment: Frondell spotted Mikheyev on a 3-on-2 rush and made a smart, simple play to get the puck to the right guy. He had 2 shots on goal and looked like he belonged. He didn't dominate — Bedard's line was held without a point outside of the Frondell helper — but for a kid who was playing SHL playoff hockey four days ago, stepping into an NHL lineup on the road against a team fighting for its postseason life and not looking out of place is a strong debut. The most anticipated Blackhawks prospect debut since Bedard himself in October 2023.

Soderblom was the backbone of this win. Forty-four saves on 47 shots, a .936 save percentage, and an absolute wall in the third period when the Islanders were throwing everything at the net. New York outshot Chicago 47-24 overall and 23 shots in the third alone — this game had no business being a Blackhawks win without Soderblom. He's been quietly excellent over these last few starts, and tonight was his best of the bunch. The defense in front of him held up again despite playing without Grzelcyk for the second straight game — Vlasic logged 25:20, Levshunov played 23:12, and Kaiser had another solid outing at 19:46.

Looking Ahead

The road trip continues Thursday at the Philadelphia Flyers (6:00 p.m. CT on ESPN+), then to the New York Rangers on Friday and New Jersey on Sunday. Grzelcyk remains out for the full trip and Mangiapane is still sidelined. Frondell should be in the lineup again — the Blackhawks will likely limit him to 9 total appearances to avoid burning the first year of his entry-level contract, but there's no reason to sit him while the game experience is this valuable. Sacha Boisvert, another first-round pick from 2024, is still awaiting immigration clearance but could join the team at some point during the trip. At 27-31-13 and 67 points, Chicago is still last in the Central with 11 games to play. The loss dropped the Islanders to 40-27-5 and out of playoff position in the Eastern Conference — Ottawa leapfrogged them with a win. These final weeks are about development and evaluation for the Hawks, and Tuesday night felt like a step in the right direction.