Blackhawks’ Frank Nazar, Anton Frondell look to build on strong track records vs. Islanders

Fresh off their first victory of the season, the Chicago Blackhawks head to Long Island on Thursday to face the New York Islanders, hoping to turn one good night into a trend.

Chicago surprised the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, picking up a thrilling 4-2 win. Now the Blackhawks will try to build momentum on a brief road trip, and several players will need to step up in a big spot to make that happen.

The Islanders will be eager to bring their best effort at home. New York has dropped two of its first three games and will be looking to even its record.

Young duo Nazar and Frondell set to lead Blackhawks’ charge

For Chicago, the push starts with a pair of young players who have limited but impressive track records against the Islanders. Top-line center Frank Nazar, just 22 years old, has faced New York only twice in his career. The first was a 5-3 Chicago win in mid-December 2023, when the Blackhawks stunned the Islanders. 

The second came this past March, when Nazar was a standout, recording a multi-point game with the game-winning goal and an assist in a 4-3 victory. With a 2-0 career record against New York, Nazar will look to extend his run.

Alongside him, Anton Frondell will look to build on a memorable debut in this matchup. Frondell has faced the Islanders just once, and he made it count with an assist on Ilya Mikheyev's goal back in March, which put Chicago up 2-1 late in the first period.

Frondell also has four points in four games so far this season.

The recent history between the two clubs has been fairly tight as New York holds a slight edge, having won six of the last ten meetings. However, the Blackhawks have won two of the last three heading into Thursday, which adds some confidence to a team still searching for consistency.

Chicago has shown it can pull off a road surprise, and its last trip to Long Island ended with a standout performance from Nazar. The Blackhawks are eager to keep their momentum rolling while adjusting to some early bumps in the road, including the loss of top-six forward Teuvo Teräväinen to injury. 

They are also still giving young players like Roman Kantserov time to get comfortable at the NHL level.

With so much in flux, a big game from Nazar and Frondell is crucial, and the two will look to be difference-makers once again.

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