Nazar Scores Twice and Frondell Adds Two Assists, But Hughes and Hamilton Score 19 Seconds Apart to Sink Blackhawks 5-3

Game Summary

This one hurts more than the blowouts in Philly and New York because the Blackhawks actually had this game. Frank Nazar scored twice — including a 5-on-3 power-play goal at 10:51 of the third to put Chicago up 3-2 — and it looked like the road trip would end on a positive note. Then Dougie Hamilton tied it at 14:32 and Jack Hughes scored 19 seconds later at 14:51 to put New Jersey ahead for good. Hughes added an empty-netter at 19:29 to close out a 5-3 Devils win at Prudential Center. The Blackhawks fall to 27-34-13 and drop their third straight to close the trip 1-3.

Chicago came out with energy in the first. Ilya Mikheyev opened the scoring at 4:19, assisted by Anton Frondell and Louis Crevier. Connor Brown tied it on the power play at 11:15 after a Kaiser tripping penalty, but Nazar answered just two minutes later at 13:11 off assists from Donato and Burakovsky to put the Hawks back in front 2-1. Simon Nemec equalized for New Jersey at 15:48 of the second — Dawson Mercer picked up the primary assist in his 401st consecutive game, tying Travis Zajac for the Devils' franchise record.

The third period is where it all turned. Chicago earned a 5-on-3 after back-to-back Devils penalties — Nick Bjugstad for high-sticking at 8:54 and Cody Glass for tripping Bedard at 9:58. Nazar capitalized, rifling a Bedard pass past Jake Allen at 10:51 for his 14th of the season and a new career high. The Hawks led 3-2 with under ten minutes to play. Then it fell apart. Hamilton scored from the point at 14:32, and before anyone could reset, Hughes buried one 19 seconds later at 14:51. Two goals in 19 seconds. Hughes finished with 2 goals and 2 assists on the night.

Three Stars

The New-Look Roster

Unlike the last two games, Chicago actually competed here. The Blackhawks blocked 20 shots, generated 31 of their own, and held a lead in the third period against a team that's won six of its last eight. The difference is that Jack Hughes is Jack Hughes, and when you give a player like that any space in the final five minutes, he's going to make you pay. The 19-second swing was devastating, but it shouldn't erase what was a strong effort from a roster with 11 players age 23 or younger.

Nazar was the best player in a Blackhawks sweater for the second straight game. His two goals — the first a quick finish off the Donato-Burakovsky feed in the first period, the second a snipe on the 5-on-3 off a Bedard setup — give him a new career high at 14 goals. He put 7 shots on goal in 19:00 of ice time and was named the game's 2nd Star. The Bedard-to-Nazar connection on the power play is becoming a real weapon — that's the kind of sequence you want to see from your young core, even in a loss.

Frondell had his best game yet — 2 assists, 3 shots on goal, 16:52 of ice time. He set up Mikheyev's opener with the primary assist and picked up the secondary helper on Nazar's power-play goal. That's 4 assists in 4 NHL games. Every point has been a primary or secondary assist on a goal that mattered. He's seeing the ice well, making smart decisions with the puck, and getting more comfortable by the game. Bedard chipped in an assist on the power-play goal as well — his 38th of the season — and had 6 shots in 20:40 of ice time. Kevin Korchinski drew into the lineup for the first time on the trip and played 12:09.

Knight stopped 35 of 39 (.897) and was solid until the late collapse. The Hamilton goal came from the point through traffic, and the Hughes goal 19 seconds later was a product of a team-wide breakdown more than a goaltending mistake. Twenty blocked shots tell you this group was competing — they just couldn't close it out.

Looking Ahead

The road trip is over — mercifully — and the Blackhawks come home to host the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+. The trip finished 1-3 with a combined goal differential of 9-20. Frondell has now played 4 of a possible 9 games before the first year of his entry-level contract burns. Grzelcyk and Mangiapane remain out. At 27-34-13 and 67 points with 8 games remaining, Chicago is last in the Central and has been officially eliminated from playoff contention — their sixth straight season missing the postseason. The sting of the late collapse in Newark will linger, but the Nazar breakout, Frondell's continued development, and the Bedard-to-Nazar power-play connection are the kind of things that matter more in March of a rebuild year than the final score.