"We Earned It": Frank Nazar Breaks Down His Goals & Blackhawks Win

On Thursday night, the Chicago Blackhawks returned to home ice to face the Buffalo Sabres. This came after a noisy week surrounding the team as they made a backup goalie switch, gave a vote of confidence to the head coach, and had the general manager give a press conference defending his rebuild. 

It wasn't a perfect game for Chicago by any means, but they found a way to win a hockey game in which they trailed at the start of the third period. 

Frank Nazar tied the game twice during the contest. Eventually, Ryan Donato scored in overtime, giving Chicago its first win in a while. After the flow of negativity around the organization, this was a much-needed performance. You can't expect a team like the Blackhawks to win every night, but you can expect them not to be blown out and to give a good effort. 

After the game ended, Nazar mentioned that the Blackhawks came out of the second period with a mentality that they were going to tie it and eventually win it. He believes they earned the two points by going out and snatching victory from the hands of defeat. 

Nazar, the number one star of the game, was a catalyst in the team putting forth the effort needed to win. Without his tenacity, it would have been difficult for the Blackhawks to skate away with two points. 

"[Nazar] creates with his speed," Patrick Kane said. "He's going to get his looks; you know he's going to get chances. He got a couple tonight right in front of the net in the right spot at the right time to finish them off."

When evaluating his own game, Nazar mentioned that "getting to the net" was the key to him scoring two goals and helping the team win. That's how you score a majority of goals in the NHL. It's nice to have speed and skill, but there isn't enough room to make that your entire identity. 

"It's a thing we talked about this week: getting to the net, screening the goalie more, winning those box-outs, and that fight to the net," Nazar said. "If we continue to do that, good things will happen." 

The first goal that Nazar scored was the result of him being parked in the blue paint on the power play. Connor Bedard threw one in front, and Nazar put it home. This is a new role for Nazar with the man advantage. Clearly, it is working for him, and he seems to be embracing what can be a physically demanding role. 

"I like it," Nazar said. "I've played it a few times in the past. It's not just winning the net front and winning battles; you have to have some skill. It's been fun."

Patrick Kane was back in the lineup after a handful of games away. A guy like that, even when he's not scoring goals himself, makes everyone around him more confident. Young players like Nazar are always going to benefit from having a legendary figure like Kane around. 

"He brings a lot to the team, " Nazar said. "Obviously, with his skill, history, and what he's done, he knows what he's talking about. He's just a good presence to have. He's making plays and everything."

It's been a rough stretch for the team as a whole. This win was nice, but they are still 5-13-1. It is going to take a lot more than that to climb out of the hole that they've dug, but it was a good start. They came off the road trip with a commitment to working to get better, and you saw some of that in their game on Thursday. 

"I thought we had a great week of practice," Nazar said. "We went over a lot of stuff. We implemented it in the game today and didn't give up much. That's how you win games: 3-2."

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