Frank Nazar suspended two games for illegal check to the head as Blackhawks brace without center

The Chicago Blackhawks will have to plan without Frank Nazar for the next two games after the league announced a suspension stemming from an illegal check to the head. The call came in the closing moments of Chicago’s loss to the New York Islanders on Thursday night, when Nazar was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the incident involving Islanders forward Bo Horvat.

According to the report, the sequence unfolded late enough that it mattered immediately for the final minutes of regulation. When a player receives a game misconduct, the team typically loses the player for the remainder of the game, and it also triggers a separate supplemental review process that can result in additional time missed afterward. In this case, the outcome was a two-game suspension.

For the Blackhawks, Nazar’s absence is a roster and matchup issue rather than a change in style. Even without knowing exact line combinations, a two-game gap for a key forward can force Chicago to reshuffle responsibilities at both ends of the ice, especially in late-game situations where discipline and faceoff outcomes often decide possession battles.

The incident also underlines the NHL’s ongoing emphasis on head contact. A five-minute major paired with a game misconduct indicates that officials concluded the action crossed a clear threshold, and the additional suspension suggests that the league determined the contact warranted a longer penalty than a standard minor or a brief misconduct.

Nazar’s suspension comes at a time when the Blackhawks’ early-season development depends on getting consistent minutes for younger players and maintaining structure across lines. Missing two games can interrupt that continuity, particularly if Chicago is also trying to establish roles for depth forwards and keep its top players from being overloaded in minutes and matchups.

For Horvat, the report frames him as the affected party on a late play that immediately altered the game’s finish. While the incident produced a major and misconduct for Nazar, the broader impact on Horvat’s role with the Islanders will be measured by how long it takes his ice time and special-teams involvement to normalize after the disruption.

Looking ahead, the key question for Chicago is how the team adjusts its forward group to cover Nazar’s responsibilities during the suspension window. The next two games will also be a test of whether the Blackhawks can hold onto structure in the areas that discipline-related absences tend to stress: line chemistry, forechecking assignments, and the ability to maintain composure late when opponents look for momentum swings.