NY Islanders dealing with early adversity as they host Chicago Blackhawks at UBS

The New York Islanders host the Chicago Blackhawks at UBS Arena looking to bounce back from a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers. The Islanders face major early adversity following news that defenseman Alexander Romanov suffered a torn ACL and will miss six to eight months. Ilya Sorokin is expected to start in goal for New York.

Defenseman Scott Mayfield is expected to make his season debut alongside Tony DeAngelo, while head coach Pete DeBoer adjusted the remaining defensive pairings. Mat Barzal skated individually on Thursday morning but remains sidelined with a lower-body injury. Chicago enters after a 4-2 win against St. Louis and continues to play without Connor Bedard and Teuvo Teravainen.