Frank Nazar Handed Two-Game Suspension for Headshot on Bo Horvat
Frank Seravalli reported the two-game suspension handed down by NHL Player Safety.
NHL Player Safety has officially spun the wheel of discipline, and this time the pointer landed squarely on Chicago Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar.
According to hockey insider Frank Seravalli, Nazar has been handed a two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of New York Islanders center Bo Horvat.
The hit went down during Thursday night's 4-1 Islanders victory, a game where Chicago's offense was already looking like it needed a suspension of its own. Now, they lose a piece of their forward group because Nazar decided to test the structural integrity of Horvat's helmet instead of playing the puck.
A two-game ban in the NHL is the classic "we have to do something, but we do not want to ruin your month" punishment. It is just enough to mess with the lineup card and force a coach to shuffle his lines, but not enough to trigger a full-blown organizational crisis.
Nazar will start serving his timeout immediately, meaning he is officially out for Saturday night's matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes. Chicago will have to figure out how to replace his minutes, while Horvat and the Islanders move on to host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Bettors looking at Chicago's already shaky goal-scoring might want to factor in the missing depth before locking anything in this weekend.