Ugly hit sparks line brawl late as Blackhawks and Islanders rack up 30 penalty minutes

Chicago Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar found himself at the center of a chaotic finish Thursday night after being handed a match penalty for an illegal hit to the head of New York Islanders forward Bo Horvat.

The incident unfolded late in the third period, as Horvat scored into an empty net to help seal New York’s 4-1 victory. Nazar made contact with Horvat on the play, setting off an immediate confrontation as players from both teams rushed into the fray.

Watch the video below to see the hit that triggered the chaos and the heated aftermath:

Officials assessed Nazar a five-minute major for the hit and a 10-minute misconduct at 18:27. The chaos also swept up Logan Stanley and Tyler Bertuzzi, who each received 10-minute misconducts during the same sequence.

And the fireworks weren’t quite over. At 19:46, Islanders forward Anthony Duclair and Blackhawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser were each handed two minutes for roughing, adding to an already ugly finish.

The loss was another frustrating result for Chicago, which managed just one goal all night. Nazar scored the Blackhawks’ lone marker, but his night ended in controversy after the hit on Horvat.

The Islanders, meanwhile, walked away with a 4-1 win after a finish that quickly turned from an empty-net goal into an all-out scrum.

On top of that for the Blackhawks, Nazar will have a hearing today for an illegal check to the head against Horvat and could face supplemental discipline.