Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard finally made his NHL debut Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, a moment hockey fans have anticipated for several years.
Squaring off against Sidney Crosby — a once generational prospect who exceeded the hype in his own right — Bedard was the main focus of Tuesday’s season-opening tripleheader. It started off comically as Bedard almost forgot his stick ahead of warmups, but once the puck dropped, it was all business.
Kelly Sutherland, who has refereed an Olympic gold-medal game and several Stanley Cup Finals, seemingly understood the magnitude of the moment, saying “Connor, welcome to the NHL, man!” before dropping the puck.
Bedard proved early on that he provides imminent danger for NHL defenses, generating seven unblocked shot attempts and two shots on goal during the first period, nearly tapping in a net-front chance with just under five minutes to go in the frame.
Bedard entered the offensive zone with blazing speed and almost beat Tristan Jarry cleanly with a snap shot before the Blackhawks retained possession and Bedard almost jammed in another chance at the end of his shift.
During Chicago’s first power play, Pittsburgh collapsed on him, sending two defenders every time he rotated near the faceoff circle. Bedard’s shot is already being respected with the same pedigree afforded to Auston Matthews or Steven Stamkos.
As the second period reached a brief lull, NHL on ESPN cut to a video segment where Bedard asked Crosby for advice. One shift later, Crosby scored an insurance goal that was reviewed but upheld as Pittsburgh’s captain buried the puck after a perfect give-and-go with Jake Guentzel through the seams. And yet Bedard wasn’t going to roll over and die.
Bedard recorded his first NHL point later in the frame, and though it won’t be on any career highlight reels, we’re sure he’ll remember it. He flew through the neutral zone and entered the offensive zone with blazing speed, dangling around reigning Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson.
Skating along the wall, Bedard executed a drop pass to Alex Vlasic, who tossed a speculative shot on net, it drew a huge rebound and Ryan Donato tapped it in, queuing up a thousand point-per-game projections for the rookie.
A mic’d-up Bedard skated over to celebrate with his teammates — an understated celebration to be clear, with the Blackhawks trailing 2-1.
The soft-spoken Bedard didn’t make much of his accomplishment during a second intermission interview with Sportsnet’s Sean Reynolds.
“Yeah, it feels good. Something you want to get your whole life, of course.”
Of course! Through two periods, Bedard generated 10 shot attempts, five shots on goal and was quite easily the best player for the Blackhawks, generating 0.75 expected goals in all situations. Bedard carried his team through the first two periods but after he seemingly ran out of gas, the Blackhawks picked him up.
Cole Guttman, an unheralded, undersized center who split time between the AHL and the NHL last season, sprung loose inside the right faceoff circle and deposited a quick shot past Jarry for the equalizer with under 10 minutes remaining.
Jason Dickinson would eventually score the game-winner for the Blackhawks, an unthinkable result through the opening 30 minutes. Corey Perry tossed a routine shot towards the net, it ricocheted onto Dickinson’s stick and he made no mistake, stunning Jarry for the go-ahead goal. Chicago’s Nick Foligno then notched an empty-netter to take a commanding 4-2 lead with one minute and 27 seconds left, effectively sealing the result.
It wasn’t a perfect game from Bedard — he stalled a third-period power play by trying to walk through the entire Penguins defense and forward Lars Eller easily picked him off. Bedard struggled in the faceoff dot, failing to win a draw through the opening two frames.
But of course, a player singularly obsessed with winning ought to be thrilled with a 4-2 victory on the road while squaring off against a fellow generational talent in Crosby that he once idolized. Bedard finished with one assist, five shots on goal and 11 shot attempts, while controlling a 63.25% share of the expected goals at 5-on-5. This is just the beginning.
