Chicago Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar was suspended for two games for an illegal check to the head of Islanders forward Bo Horvat during their game Thursday night in New York.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced the suspension Friday evening. Nazar also was fined $68,041.
Nazar, 22, will miss Saturday’s home game against the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes and Tuesday’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
At the 18-minute, 27-second mark of the third period Thursday, Horvat scored on an empty net to secure a 4-1 Islanders win. Shortly after Horvat’s shot, Nazar laid a hard check leading with his left shoulder into the center’s head.
That drew the ire of Horvat and his teammates, leading to a fist-throwing scrum. Nazar was hit with a five-minute major, ending his night.
Nazar shared his view of the play with media Saturday, hours before the Hawks-Hurricanes game at the United Center.
“I just see that Islanders player going to make an attempt for the empty net on the other side of him, best thing I can do is just try to apply pressure so he doesn’t score,” Nazar said. “I kept my shoulders in, kept my elbow in, didn’t like lunge or reach or anything, skated right through.”
He’s still “processing” the suspension but shared that he texted Horvat afterward to check on the Islanders captain. Horvat no longer has an injury designation and is expected to play in Saturday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“I definitely didn’t see him, but I don’t think he’s the type of player to go looking for that,” Horvat told Islanders beat writer Stefen Rosner on Saturday. “It was just an unfortunate chain of events. I don’t think he was looking to target my head completely, it just ended up working out that way.”
It was a frustrating night for the Hawks, who lost despite having a 23-19 edge in shots on goal. Nazar scored the lone Hawks goal on a 6-on-5 at 17:26 of the third.
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The Hawks (1-4-0) have lost their first four road games in regulation for the first time since the 1997-98 season. Including Saturday, they will play their next seven games at the United Center.
Nazar is the first active Hawks player to be suspended since the league issued a four-game ban on forward Brett Connolly for interference on Dec. 19, 2021. Connolly also was fined $70,000 for the hit on former Stars forward Tanner Kero that forced him out of action for 25 days.