Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar departs after getting hit in the face with a puck

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar left Saturday’s 5-3 loss to St. Louis after he was hit in the face by a puck.

Nazar dropped his stick and discarded his gloves in frustration as he made his way off the ice after the play occurred about 3 1/2 minutes into the second period.

“I think Frank’s going to be all right,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “He had to get some dental work done, but I think he’ll be all right.”

The last-place Blackhawks (28-38-14) have two games left in the season.

The 22-year-old Nazar was sidelined for a month after he broke his jaw when he was hit in the face by a puck during a 6-4 loss at Ottawa on Dec. 20. He returned on Jan. 22 at Carolina.

Nazar, a first-round pick in the 2022 draft, has 15 goals and 26 assists in 64 games in his third NHL season. He agreed to a $46.2 million, seven-year extension with Chicago in August.

Forward Andrew Mangiapane departed in the third period after crashing hard into the net with 9:17 left. Blashill said Mangiapane is day to day.

Ethan Del Mastro was scratched because of an unspecified injury. With Del Mastro sidelined, veteran forward Sam Lafferty was inserted into the lineup as a defenseman.

“(Lafferty) has played D with our team in practice a decent amount in the last three, four weeks,” Blashill said. “(Lafferty) has been committed to this team all year. … He played D in college, so it’s not like he’s foreign to it. I mean he actually knows our systems probably as good as anybody.”

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/nhl