After the Chicago Blackhawks’ morning skate Monday, Frank Nazar spoke to the media with some missing teeth after taking a puck to the face Saturday. It’s a new look for the forward, as well as a new challenge.
“If I’m lazier, I’ve got a little bit of a lisp,” Nazar said. “But if I’m more firm, you can understand me.”
As the slew of reporters and cameras dispersed from Nazar’s locker area, his helmet — cage and all — fell onto the 22-year-old and then the locker-room floor. He was OK, but he surely felt the impact.
During Monday night’s 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, Connor Bedard skated on the puck and fell. He slipped again seconds later, this time on his own volition.
It was an ugly sequence for both forwards. Frankly, it has been that way the entire season for the Hawks.
Coach Jeff Blashill labeled this final four-game homestand as a chance to show fans how good the team can be to close the season. Chicago White Sox players were in attendance on their day off, but it was the Hawks who struck out for the third time on Blashill’s promise.
The Hawks (28-39-14) have lost 15 of their last 18 home games, with one game remaining Wednesday night against San Jose Sharks the before closing out another sluggish season.
The Sabers (50-23-8) clinched their first Atlantic Division title since 2010 and will face either the Boston Bruins or Ottawa Senators in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. A loud “Let’s go, Buffalo” chant filled the United Center as the final horn sounded.
The home team, meanwhile, got some boos hurled its way from Hawks fans. It wasn’t completely unwarranted, given that the Hawks have been outscored 17-6 over the last three games.
“Nobody wants to experience that. It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth,” Ryan Donato said. “We have to give them a reason to cheer for us.”
Sabres fans have been waiting a decade and a half to see their team compete. Buffalo has snapped a 14-year playoff drought and is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender as the postseason begins Saturday.
It’s the type of turnaround the Hawks — who haven’t seen the playoffs in six years — are hoping for sooner than later. Blashill was asked if he envisions a similar bounce back for the team next season.
It wasn’t a definitive yes.
“We’ll see. We’ve got a chance to prove it,” Blashill said. “When you look at Buffalo’s year, they’ve had a lot of young talent that they’ve built over time.
“I know that this (is a) young team and we will take off. I just don’t know when. Is it next year? That’s up to us.”
The Hawks defense stood tall in the first period against a Buffalo offense that’s averaging 28.2 shots on goal. A short-handed goal from Ryan Greene at 3:58 gave the Hawks an early 1-0 lead.
The dam broke in the second period — a familiar tale for the 2025-26 Hawks.
Center Tage Thompson collected a puck that Louis Crevier failed to find and scored to give Buffalo the lead at 13:00. The Sabres outshot the Hawks 12-4 in the second.
Thompson gave an encore in the third period with a one-timer snipe that flew past Spencer Knight (21 saves). Josh Norris, Alex Tuch and Ryan McLeod rounded out the scoring for the Sabres.
“There’s been a lack of battle-winning,” Wyatt Kaiser said. “It’s not a lack of effort, I don’t think, but we’re just losing a lot of battles in critical areas that lead to the ice getting tilted on us.”
The Hawks had a 5-on-3 chance early in the third that could have tied the score at 2. They proceeded to fumble the puck, let Buffalo’s three players clear it and watch Tuch give the Sabres a 3-1 lead shortly after.
Macklin Celebrini and the freshly playoff-eliminated Sharks are the Hawks’ last chance to finish the season with the cup half-full. The team believes the fans deserve at least that much.
“We’re playing against a good team, a team that’s been fighting for the playoffs all year, (so it’s about) showing that we want to be one of those teams and that we can do it,” Donato said. “Over a long season it can get grueling on the body, but you have to be mentally tough and power through it and just know it’s a long season (because) these teams are going on to (the) playoffs and have a lot more to go through.”
Blashill came into his first year as Hawks coach with “no expectation one way or another.” He has taken a lot of positives out of the last stretch of games, and he’s looking for a season-ending win to add to the list.
“It’s a little unfortunate these last couple of games have gone this way because, honestly, we’ve done tons of good things to build this in the right direction, and unfortunately this sours your taste,” Blashill said. “In the end, when we look back, we’ll know we built a lot of building blocks to have success in the future.”
