Blackhawks’ Frank Nazar to have hearing for head contact on Islanders’ Bo Horvat

Chicago Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar will have a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Friday after throwing a high hit on New York Islanders forward Bo Horvat and being ejected from Thursday’s game at UBS Arena.

Nazar, 22, was assessed a match penalty for an illegal check to the head on Horvat in the dying minutes of the Islanders’ 4-1 win over the Blackhawks on Thursday. As Horvat corralled the puck in the defensive zone and fired it toward Chicago’s empty net, Nazar caught him up high with his left shoulder, drawing a fierce reaction from Horvat’s teammates.

Horvat was shaken up on the play and is “still being evaluated” for a possible injury, according to Islanders head coach Peter DeBoer. The first-year Islanders captain scored twice and was named the game’s first star in the victory on Thursday.

Through five games with the Blackhawks to begin the 2026-27 regular season, Nazar has collected two goals, three points, and 22 penalty minutes. The Blackhawks originally selected the Detroit product in the first round (No. 13 overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft.

Nazar spent two seasons at the University of Michigan before turning pro in the Blackhawks organization in 2024. In 127 career NHL games over parts of four seasons in Chicago, the 5’10” center has amassed 30 goals and 71 points.

With their loss to the Islanders, the Blackhawks fell to 1-4-0 to start the new season. With two points in five games, the Blackhawks are currently tied with the Philadelphia Flyers for the 29th-ranked points percentage in the NHL, ahead of only the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames.

With Nazar’s hearing with the Department of Player Safety slated to take place over the phone, any potential supplemental discipline will be capped at a five-game suspension or a fine. As it stands, Nazar’s status for Chicago’s upcoming game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday remains in doubt.