Chicago Blackhawks lose 15th of last 18 home games — and the Buffalo Sabres clinch the Atlantic Division

Following the Chicago Blackhawks’ morning skate on Monday, Frank Nazar spoke to the media with some missing teeth after taking a puck to the face on Saturday. It’s a new look for the forward, as well as a new challenge.

“If I’m lazier, I’ve got a little bit of a lisp,” Nazar said. “But if I’m more firm, you can understand me.”

As the slew of reporters and cameras dispersed from Nazar’s locker area, the forward’s helmet — cage and all — fell onto the 22-year-old and then the locker room floor. He was OK, but he surely felt the impact.

During Monday’s game versus the Buffalo Sabres, Connor Bedard skated on the puck and fell. He slipped again seconds later, this time on his own volition.

It was an ugly sequence for each of the forwards. Frankly, it’s been that way the entire season for the Hawks.

Coach Jeff Blashill labeled this four-game homestand a chance to show fans how good the team can be to close the season. Players from the Chicago White Sox were in attendance on their off day, but it was the Hawks who struck out for the third time on Blashill’s promise.

The Hawks (28-39-14) fell to the Sabres 5-1 on Monday night. They’ve lost 15 of their last 18 home games and they now have one more game before closing out another sluggish season.

Buffalo (50-23-8) clinched its first Atlantic Division title since 2010 and will face either the Boston Bruins or the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. A loud “Let’s Go Buffalo” chant filled the United Center as the final horn sounded.

The home team wasn’t left out, but they got some boos from Hawks fans hurled their way instead. It’s not completely unwarranted, given that the Hawks have been outscored 17-6 in the past three games.

“Nobody wants to experience that, it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth,” Ryan Donato said. “We have to give them a reason to cheer for us.”

Sabres fans have been waiting a decade and a half to see their team compete. Buffalo snapped its 14-year playoff drought and is a legit Stanley Cup contender as the postseason begins Saturday.

It’s the turnaround that the Hawks — who haven’t seen the playoffs in six years — are hoping for sooner than later. Blashill was asked if he sees a similar bounce back for the team next season.

It wasn’t a definitive yes.

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“We’ll see, we’ve got a chance to prove it,” Blashill said. “When you look at Buffalo’s year, they’ve had a lot of young talent that they’ve built over time.

“I know that this (is a) young team and we will take off. I just don’t know when. Is it next year? That’s up to us.”

The Hawks defense stood tall in the first period against a Buffalo offense that’s averaging 28.2 shots on goal per game. A shorthanded goal from Ryan Greene at 3:58 gave the Hawks an early 1-0 lead.

The dam broke in the second period — a familiar tale for the 2025-26 Hawks.

Center Tage Thompson collected a puck that Louis Crevier failed to find and scored to give Buffalo the lead at 13:00 in the second. The new-and-improved Sabres outshot the Hawks 12-4 in the second.

Thompson gave an encore in the third period with a one-timer snipe that flew past Spencer Knight (21 saves). Josh Norris, Alex Tuch and Ryan McLeod rounded out the scoring for the Sabres.

“There’s been a lack of battle-winning,” Wyatt Kaiser said. “It’s not a lack of effort, I don’t think, but we’re just losing a lot of battles in critical areas that lead to ice getting tilted on us.”

The Hawks had a 5-on-3 chance early in the third period to tie the game at two. The five forwards proceeded to fumble the puck, let Buffalo’s three players clear and watched Tuch give the Sabres a 3-1 lead shortly after.

Macklin Celebrini and the freshly playoff-eliminated Sharks are the Hawks’ last chance to finish the season with the cup half full. The team believes the fans deserve at least that much.

“We’re playing against a good team, a team that’s been fighting for the playoffs all year (so it’s about) showing that we want to be one of those teams and that we can do it,” Donato said. “Over a long season it can get grueling on the body, but you have to be mentally tough and power through it and just know it’s a long season (because) these teams are going on to (the) playoffs and have a lot more to go through.”

Blashill came into his first year as coach with “no expectation one way or another.” He’s taken a lot of positives out of the last stretch of games, and he’s looking for a season-ending win to add to the list.

“I think it’s a little unfortunate these last couple of games have gone this way, because honestly we’ve done tons of good things to build this in the right direction, and unfortunately this sours your taste,” Blashill said. “In the end, when we look back, we’ll know we built a lot of building blocks to have success in the future. … We’re going to focus on trying to win a game against San Jose.”