Frank Nazar Takes Puck to the Face, Exits Game as Blackhawks Fall Hard to Blues

It was a brutal Saturday night in Chicago. The Blackhawks got torched by St. Louis 5-3, and to make matters worse, forward Frank Nazar took a puck straight to the face and had to leave the game. This is the second time in less than four months that Nazar has been sidelined by a shot to the mouth, and it's getting old fast.

The Hit and the Frustration

About 3 and a half minutes into the second period, Nazar caught a puck in the face. He didn't stick around to celebrate the moment either. The 22-year-old dropped his stick, yanked off his gloves, and skated straight to the locker room. You could see the frustration written all over him.

Coach Jeff Blashill tried to sound optimistic after the loss. "I think Frank's going to be all right," he said. "He had to get some dental work done, but I think he'll be all right." Dental work. Not exactly what you want to hear, but at least Blashill seems confident it's not a long-term thing.

A Recurring Nightmare

Here's the kicker: Nazar went through this exact same nightmare back on December 20th. He broke his jaw after taking a puck to the face during a 6-4 loss at Ottawa. He missed a full month before returning on January 22nd against Carolina. Now, just a few weeks back, and he's dealing with facial damage again.

The 22-year-old is in his third NHL season after being a first-round pick in 2022. Despite the injuries, he's putting up solid numbers: 15 goals and 26 assists in 64 games. He also signed a massive $46.2 million extension over seven years with the Blackhawks back in August, so the team is clearly invested in his future.

Injuries Piling Up

The Blackhawks (28-38-14) are in last place and limping toward the finish line with just two games left in the season. Forward Andrew Mangiapane also left the game in the third period after crashing hard into the net with 9:17 remaining. Blashill said Mangiapane is day to day. On top of that, the team was already without Ethan Del Mastro due to an unspecified injury, so they had to get creative by sliding veteran forward Sam Lafferty into a defenseman role. Lafferty actually played defense in college and has been working with the team on it in practice, so it wasn't a completely foreign ask.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.