Chicago Blackhawks get win in Connor Bedard’s NHL debut

It’s not unusual for pro athletes to get nervous before a big game.

Heck, some tell us they get that way before EVERY game.

In the case of Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard, it seemed to be a bit of an emotional roller coaster before his NHL debut in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

Asked how he slept the night before, the 18-year-old deadpanned: “Like a baby.”

Moments later, however, another reporter asked if he was, indeed, feeling nervous.

“Tonight, I’m sure there will be some butterflies,” Bedard said. “I think nerves are good. Shows you care. …

“You don’t want to be gripping-your-stick nervous. But just a little butterflies and excitement is a good thing. … In the end, I want to put out a good effort tonight.”

He certainly did that, helping the Hawks charge back from a 2-0 deficit to claim a somewhat stunning 4-2 victory. Bedard assisted on the Hawks’ first goal, finished with 21.5 minutes of ice time and racked up an eye-opening 10 total shot attempts in the first two periods.

Ryan Donato, Cole Guttman, Jason Dickinson and Nick Foligno scored for the Hawks.

“Foligno said in the room: ‘A couple guys (are) playing their first (games). Let’s make it even more memorable,’” Bedard told ESPN. “Everyone played a really good game and it was really fun to be a part of that win.”

Bedard became the second-youngest Hawk to register a point, behind only Eddie Olczyk, who scored a goal in his debut against Detroit on October 11, 1984.

Pittsburgh grabbed a 2-0 lead on goals by Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby, but it could have been 3-0 or 4-0 if not for the outstanding play of goalie Petr Mrazek (38 saves).

Late in the second period, Bedard took a pass in the offensive zone from rookie defenseman Alex Vlasic and immediately felt pressure from veteran D-man Erik Karlsson. Bedard deftly backhanded a pass back to Vlasic, who took the puck to the net and fired.

Jarry made the save, but Donato was there and he cut the Penguins’ lead to 2-1.

Guttman tied it midway through the third period on a shot from the slot that flew over Jarry’s left shoulder. Seth Jones set the goal up with a pass from behind the net.

The Hawks took the lead when a shot attempt from Corey Perry deflected off Crosby’s stick and went right to Dickinson, who fired a shot home with 4:33 remaining. Foligno iced it with an empty netter.

Bedard struggled with faceoffs, winning just 2 of 13, but there were plenty of moments where we saw why he’s considered a generational talent.

Bedard fired a one-timer on an early power play. He pulled a stick drag/shot move on a defender that had ESPN announcers drooling. Seconds later, he charged the net and fired a rebound attempt at Jarry.

Right away, we saw Bedard wasn’t about to ease his way in to the NHL.

He was announcing his presence. With authority.

While it’s just one victory, it was certainly an impressive one over a revamped Penguins squad looking to make one more run at the Stanley Cup.

“It just shows our mindset,” Bedard said. “We’ve seen that a lot throughout camp -- guys want to win so bad and they’re so focused on improving every day. …

“Thought we played great.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20231010/connor-bedard-gets-a-point-and-the-blackhawks-get-a-win-in-his-debut