After falling to the New York Islanders on Thursday night, the Chicago Blackhawks resumed action against the New Jersey Devils in a Saturday afternoon matinee. While Jack Hughes and Connor Bedard garnered all the press before the matchup, Blackhawks fans were more concerned about the season of debut of prospect Frank Nazar. Nazar was recalled from the Rockford IceHogs after the crushing defeat to the Islanders. He had played well in his time in Rockford, recording 11 goals and 13 assists in 21 games.
In addition to Nazar making his season debut, Drew Commesso made his first NHL start. The former second-round pick was recalled on Dec. 8. While this was his first start of the season, Commesso made his NHL debut earlier in the week in relief.
Despite the additions from Rockford, the Hawks scored early and then crumbled late to lose 4–1 to the Devils.
First period
Commesso turned away all nine shots has faced, while the Blackhawks only mustered two shots of their own. Commesso was tested early and forced to cover up for some egregious defense zone turnovers. The first period ended with the score knotted at 0–0.
Second period
Jason Dickinson scored the Blackhawks’ lone goal of the game in the second period in unique fashion.
Jason Dickinson scores his 6th goal of the season after his shot goes off the post then off Luke Hughes’ face and in 😂 #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/HsvztDALhi
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 14, 2024
Commesso stopped eight shots to maintain the lead, including one late that could classify as highway robbery.
What a glove save by Drew Commesso, the best of his NHL career so far. Beauty. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/m9Y4L29DSZ
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 14, 2024
The period ended with Hawks up 1–0.
Third period
The Blackhawks’ formula this season has been score early and fail late. Sadly, this game was no different. In the third period, the Devils pumped in four goals past Commesso to win 4–1, though Commesso was hardly to blame in what was overall a solid showing. The Devils got goals from Dawson Mercer, Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Timo Meier.
With the loss, the Hawks have now dropped seven of their last eight games. The team has only one win since firing Luke Richardson and replacing him with Anders Sorensen.
Analysis
With the future hopefully bright, the present remains very dark. The Hawks once against gave up a volley of goals in the third period to lose another winnable game. The Blackhawks’ anemic offense remains a problem. The Hawks have scored more than two goals just once in their last six games. For the season, the Hawks are averaging 2.40 goals per game while league average is 3.04 goals per game. The team cannot count on their young goalie tandem to steal games for them.
The Hawks were hoping to ignite their offense with the call-up of Nazar. Nazar earned the call-up after dominating the AHL this season. Nazar currently ranks eighth in the AHL in points. In his NHL season debut, Nazar had 17 shifts for 14:01 minutes of ice time. He recorded one shot and took one penalty for the game. Nazar figures to be a big part of the Blackhawks.
In addition to Nazar being a big part of the future, the Hawks are hoping that Commesso progresses to be one of their goalies of the future. Commesso was pressed into NHL duty this season after injuries at the goalie position. While the outcome was not what he wanted, there were positive signs that should give Blackhawks fans hope for the future.
The Hawks return to action to take on the New York Islanders in a Sunday matinee at the United Center at 2 p.m. CST.