CHICAGO — Meet the healthier Islanders, same as the injured Islanders.
If anyone thought Sunday was the chance for the Islanders to write the first chapter of the turnaround of their season, with Mat Barzal and Adam Pelech back in the lineup , with the chance to get above NHL .500, with the chance to get into a playoff spot and with an opponent at the bottom of the league, all those aspirations went “splat” onto the United Center ice.
The Islanders instead put forth an inconsistent performance that started disjointedly and ended with the gut punch of Connor Bedard’s late game-winner in a 5-3 loss to the Blackhawks, as the guys they are still missing — namely Bo Horvat and Anthony Duclair — stuck out more than the guys who returned…