Blackhawks' Frank Nazar on IR after puck to face

The Chicago Blackhawks can't catch a break at the moment as their roster is in shambles due to freak accidents. First Connor Bedard separated his shoulder on a faceoff with less than a second left in the game, and now Frank Nazar is going to be out a month after getting hit in the face with the puck.

The play happened during Saturday's 6-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators. Nazar was struck with a Jordan Spence shot barely five minutes into the game. He went immediately to the dressing room and did not return. Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill knew immediately after the game that there was an IR stint coming up.

Frank Nazar takes a puck to the chin/cheek area and heads immediately to the locker room. Looks like a pretty decent gash. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/V3Kfg1Vjt1
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 20, 2025

“You saw the play,” Blashill said. “He got hit right in the face. “One of the things that leads to consistency is depth, and so our depth is getting tested. So guys in those roles have to ultimately play at a higher level. As you play more minutes in more important roles, you’ve got to play that much better. And it’s a challenge. And it’s not easy. As a group, we need to get more out of more guys. We’ve talked about that, and we’ll continue to talk about that.”

The 22-year-old Nazar has been struggling of late to find consistent production. He's scored six goals and 15 assists, for 21 points in 33 game this season. It's the first year of his massive seven-year contract extension and looks like he's going to develop nicely into a top-six forward for the Blackhawks to lean on for years to come.

Unfortunately, right now, the Blackhawks are in one. They've lost five in a row, their best players are dropping like flies, and after a very good start to the season, it appears they're once again headed for the bottom of the Western Conference.