Chicago Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar is heading to the NHL Department of Player Safety after his hit on New York Islanders captain Bo Horvat late in Thursday’s game at UBS Arena.
The league announced Friday that Nazar will have a hearing after delivering an illegal check to Horvat’s head in New York’s 4-1 win. The hit came with 1:33 left in the third period, right after Horvat scored into Chicago’s empty net. The contact sent Horvat twisting through the air and immediately set off a scrum as Islanders players moved in to defend their captain.
Officials handed Nazar a five-minute major and a match penalty, and he was ejected from the game.
Horvat left the ice for evaluation after the collision, and his status was still being assessed Friday, according to reports.
The play drew strong reaction from the Islanders’ side. Head coach Peter DeBoer addressed it after the game, saying, “You don’t like that hit, especially at that time in the game and who it’s on,” DeBoer said, while taking to the media after the game. “I think they got the call right, and we’ll see, but you don’t like to see that on anybody.”
Islanders forward Emil Heineman also spoke up for his captain and backed the response from his teammates.
“They go after one of our guys… whatever it is, we have to stick up for one of ours,” Heineman said. “It’s a cheap shot, I would say.”
Nazar had scored Chicago’s only goal late in the third period before Horvat added his second goal of the night to finish the scoring. The loss dropped Chicago to 1-4 through its first five games, while New York moved to 2-1 behind Horvat’s two-goal night and Ilya Sorokin’s 22 saves.
The hearing now puts the spotlight on what the league decides next, with possible discipline looming for Nazar and another hit to deal with as Chicago tries to steady itself after a rough start.
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