Center Frank Nazar will be in the Chicago Blackhawks lineup for Thursday night’s road game against the Carolina Hurricanes. It will be his first game in 33 days.
“I’ve been ready for four weeks; now I’m allowed to (play),” Nazar said after practice Wednesday. “It was good to get up and down the sheet, play with some guys that I’ll probably be playing with and get those touches in of gamelike situations.”
The 22-year-old was injured in a Dec. 20 road loss to the Ottawa Senators when a deflected puck hit him in the face. He practiced with a face mask that he likely will wear for the time being.
“We anticipate him being in the lineup (after a) full go today,” Hawks coach Jeff Blashill said Wednesday. “Excited to have him back.”
Nazar has 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 33 games this season. He scored the first goal of the NHL season in the Oct. 7 opener at the Florida Panthers.
His offensive production had plateaued before his jaw injury. He went 21 games between Oct. 28 and Dec. 16 without a goal until he scored in a 4-1 road loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 18.
Nazar said he lost “seven or eight pounds” while his jaw healed. He has gained back half of the weight but said he hasn’t lost any stamina.
“I’m pretty up there,” he said. “My weight fluctuates anyway. It’s pretty normal.”
Both Nazar and Connor Bedard (shoulder) came back from their injuries at the start of a back-to-back. The Hawks host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday at the United Center.
“With those particular injuries, you can play a back-to-back,” Blashill said. “The only ones you probably worry about (is) like a groin or something like that.”
Blashill finally is getting some stability in his lineup. Injuries and a illness bug have plagued the Hawks in recent weeks.
“It’s nothing that we haven’t been through as a coaching staff,” Blashill said. “The biggest thing messaging-wise is zero excuse and go try to win a hockey game.”
André Burakovsky also will be available Thursday after missing Monday’s 2-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets in Jonathan Toews’ return because of illness.
Teuvo Teräväinen skated before practice in a noncontact jersey, but won’t travel with the team to Carolina. He’s dealing with an upper-body injury.
Blashill described Teräväinen’s situation as a “day-to-day thing.” He’s expected to be back before the Olympic break, when the 31-year-old center will play for Finland as the Hawks’ lone Olympian.
