Chicago 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 in Ottawa, Ontario. The Hawks, who have lost five straight and seven of eight, will be without two of their young centers in Nazar and Connor Bedard for the near future.
“You saw the play,” Hawks coach Jeff Blashill told reporters afterward. “(He) got hit right in the face.”
In the first period, Senators defenseman Jordan Spence launched a shot from the faceoff circle that hit Tyler Bertuzzi’s stick, inadvertently deflecting the puck into Nazar’s jaw. A gash quickly appeared on Nazar’s face, and he was visibly frustrated as he skated straight to the tunnel.
Nazar on Thursday scored his first goal since Oct. 28 in a 4-1 road loss to the Montreal Canadiens. He has six goals and 15 assists this season.
The 21-year-old center signed a seven-year, $46.13 million extension in the offseason after playing just 56 games. It’s the largest contract in league history for a player with that level of experience.
Nazar’s injury adds salt to the wound for the Hawks, who already are without superstar center Bedard until January. He’s dealing with a separated shoulder, per NHL analyst Kevin Weekes.
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Bedard, 20, was injured in the final second of a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Sept. 12. The Hawks are 0-4-0 without Bedard this season, being outscored 17-7 in that stretch.
Captain Nick Foligno hasn’t played since Nov. 15 because of a hand injury, but he could return soon.
“One of the things that leads to consistency is depth, and so our depth is getting tested,” Blashill said. “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 game was tied 3-3 after two periods but the Hawks allowed three third-period goals, including a pair from David Perron, to cap a winless three-game Canada trip. Perron scored his first goal on the power play and the second off a great pass from Tim Stützle. Fabian Zetterlund added a late goal to ice the win for the Senators.
Stützle had a goal and two assists, and Tyler Kleven and Brady Tkachuk also scored for the Senators. Leevi Merilainen made 20 saves.
Ilya Mikheyev scored twice for the Hawks, and Andre Burakovsky and Nick Lardis — with his first NHL goal — also scored. Arvid Söderblom stopped 34 shots.
The Hawks return to the United Center on Tuesday for a matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Associated Press contributed.