Islanders Feast on Exhausted Hawks Behind Red-Hot Sorokin

The Blackhawks limp into UBS Arena on Thursday night for the second half of a back-to-back, and honestly, they might as well have stayed on the bus. Chicago is winless in three road contests, bleeding five goals per game away from the United Center, and now they're asking Spencer Knight—who's posted an .891 save percentage and a bloated 3.36 GAA—to somehow steal one against an Islanders squad that looks downright nasty at home.

New York is a perfect 1-0 on home ice with a plus-six goal differential, and the reason is simple: Ilya Sorokin is playing out of his mind. Through two starts, he's rocking a .968 save percentage and a microscopic 1.02 GAA. That's not a typo. The Russian netminder is in elite early-season form, and the Hawks' sputtering offense—running on fumes after last night's game—has zero answers.

DarkHorse likes the Islanders at -190 with strong conviction, and it's hard to argue. The goaltending gap is Grand Canyon-wide, Chicago's legs will be concrete by the third period, and New York's defensive structure at home is suffocating. This one could get ugly fast. Lay the price and sleep easy.