The injury hits keep coming for the Chicago Blackhawks. News emerged on Saturday that forward Frank Nazar is injured and will be out for at least a month. This news was confirmed by Chicago head coach Jeff Blashill after Saturday’s 6-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators. This was after Nazar was hit in the face with the puck.
Blackhawks center Frank Nazar will miss an estimated four weeks after being hit in the face with the puck in a 6-4 loss to the Senators on Saturday.
— Chicago Tribune Sports (@chicagosports.bsky.social) 2025-12-21T01:30:06.859013Z
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Chicago Blackhawks Forward Frank Nazar Injured; Will Miss Four Weeks
In the first period of Saturday’s game against Ottawa, Senators’ blueliner Jordan Spence shot a puck into the zone and hit off Tyler Bertuzzi‘s stick. The puck was deflected inadvertently and that hit Nazar in the jaw. A laceration formed on the young American centre’s face, and he skated right into the tunnel.
The 21-year-old has only played for the Blackhawks across parts of three NHL season. Nazar’s had a slow season with six goals and 15 assists for 21 points in 32 games so far. The Detroit native is averaging 18 minutes, 46 seconds of ice time. He has a Corsi for of 48.7 and a relative Corsi of 2.0.
Nazar has 19 goals and 29 assists for 48 points in 88 career games. Chicago originally drafted Nazar in the first round, 13th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. He’s also won gold for his native United States and the 2024 World Juniors and the 2025 IIHF World Championships.
What It Means
Things are going from bad to worse for the Blackhawks, who are already without Connor Bedard. The Blackhawks dropped their fifth straight game when they lost to the Senators on Saturday.
Chicago was showing plenty of promise in the early portion of the season. However, the loss of Bedard has caused the Blackhawks to go into a tailspin. Losing the team’s second-line pivot is only going to make things worse.
The Blackhawks host the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night in the final game before the holiday break. However, Chicago will hope to go into the festive season with a victory.
Main photo by: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
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