Blackhawks' Frank Nazar bringing the right attitude through team's woes

DETROIT — Blackhawks forward and Detroit native Frank Nazar felt a sense of deja vu while riding the Hawks’ team bus Thursday from Detroit Metro Airport to their hotel.

“It was weird thinking about, ‘Oh, I drive these streets normally,’ ” Nazar said.

All the Hawks probably felt some deja vu Friday during a 5-3 loss to the Red Wings. They played far worse than the final score suggests, and outings like that — regardless of the score — have been all too common since the holiday break.

The Hawks were not only outskilled — a constant reality against most opponents — but also thoroughly outworked. The second period was so lopsided it defied imagination; the Wings attempted 32 shots to the Hawks’ two.

Teuvo Teravainen scored two late goals to pull the Hawks within 4-3 and somehow made things interesting, but there’s no argument they deserved anything better than a regulation loss. On the Wings’ side, Patrick Kane led the way with three points.

“It seems like there’s always one thing that’s, ‘Oh, what can we do that’s going to be the answer [to our problems]?’ ” Ryan Donato said. “If we had the answer, we would’ve done it.”

Interim coach Anders Sorensen, a man of few words, was a man of so few words after the game it belied his anger.

The poor team effort spoiled the first NHL homecoming for Nazar, who had more than 40 friends and family in attendance at Little Caesars Arena. He played for youth teams that used the facility’s attached practice rink as a 13- and 14-year-old, and he scored his first collegiate goal for Michigan in the arena two years ago.

As usual, Nazar wasn’t the problem. During his five-on-five shifts, the Hawks actually outscored the Wings 1-0 and produced a 5-4 edge in scoring chances — compared to Detroit’s 15-4 advantage when he wasn’t on the ice.

But also as usual, Nazar’s solid play wasn’t reflected on the box score. He has now tallied just three points in 13 games this season, during which time the Hawks have had at least a half-dozen meltdowns.

Connor Bedard said Wednesday, after Nazar finally scored a goal against the Avalanche, it feels like every game is Nazar’s “next best game.” He’s correct about that.

But Bedard also predicted the dam would break for Nazar this week, and it hasn’t yet. Goalies and goalposts have largely stymied him so far. Just like in the AHL, however, his lack of size hasn’t prevented him from frequently getting into the slot and other dangerous scoring areas — a good sign for the future.

“[As a] young player coming into the league, the first games, you’re nervous to play against some good players,” Teravainen said. “It takes a few games, a few months, a few years sometimes — you don’t know. [Frank is] getting better and better, I feel like. He’s more comfortable with the puck on his stick and just skating.”

Importantly, Nazar’s personality seems perfectly designed to allow him to maintain confidence while grinding through this NHL transition period.

He’s confident enough to continue believing he will ultimately succeed at this level, and he’s humble enough to understand success — neither individually nor collectively — rarely happens immediately.

He’s confident enough to stick to his game and his skills without trying to do too much, and he’s humble enough to listen attentively to others’ advice and adapt to stronger, smarter opponents.

“It’s a hard situation to come into,” Donato said. “He’s an awesome kid. He’s a sponge around the vets and wants to learn. A guy as positive as him, it’s refreshing around the locker room. It’s probably hard to take all the positives when games aren’t going the way you expect them to go, [but] I know he’s going to stay positive and continue to work hard and be hungry.”