The Chicago Blackhawks were unable to hold off the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, as they relinquished three one-goal leads throughout the game and lost in overtime.
Although the Blackhawks didn’t have their best game, Spencer Knight kept them in it, and they earned a point in the standings. There are no moral victories in the NHL, but they did find a way to snag a point against the team with the top record in the Eastern Conference without Frank Nazar, Jason Dickinson, and Andre Burakovsky.
Blackhawks Relinquish Three Leads, Lose To Devils In OT
Advertisement
Connor Bedard played a role in them getting that point, as he scored the first goal of the game to make it 1-0. From there, although they ended up winning, New Jersey was playing from behind for most of the night.
Bedard’s goal was a 5-on-3 goal that the Blackhawks did a good job creating. With the help of some good keep-ins and board battle victories, Chicago’s good puck and body movement tired out the New Jersey penalty killers. Eventually, Bedard had a give-and-go with Teuvo Teravainen that took Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom out of the net, and Bedard beat him.
B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) on X
Advertisement
This gave Bedard goals in four straight and points in nine straight. To say he’s been on fire would be an understatement. With 26 points, Bedard is tied for second in NHL scoring with Leo Carlsson and Macklin Celebrini.
Chicago’s matchup with New Jersey was a national broadcast in the United States on TNT. Before the game, Wayne Gretzky, who is a panelist for TNT these days, had some really nice things to say about Connor Bedard.
“He’s been absolutely spectacular.” Wayne Gretzky said of Bedard. “It’s such a pleasure to see because coming into this league at 18, you [have] all this pressure on you, you [have] all of this focus on you, you’re not a very good team, you’re a young team, you’re rebuilding. He was front and center; he didn’t back away from anybody or shy away from the media. For him to work as hard as he did in the off-season to come in and play at the level he’s playing at now, he’s earning his way onto Team Canada.”
NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) on X
Advertisement
It is not every day that you get compliments like this from The Great One. As the NHL’s all-time leading scorer and multiple-time Stanley Cup champion, Wayne Gretzky knows a thing or two about being an NHL superstar, and he sees something special in Bedard.
Gretzky brought up Team Canada unprompted. He seems pretty convinced that Bedard deserves and will be on the team. There is a lot to still be decided on that front, but it is hard to argue against his case. If he keeps playing at his current pace, leaving him off would simply suggest that he never had a chance at all.
The TNT panel, which had Gretzky joined by Paul Bissonnette, Anson Carter, and Liam McHugh, also broke down Bedard’s first-period goal. Gretzky compared his goal-scoring play to a Larry Bird no-look pass and called it a fun play to watch.
NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) on X
Advertisement
There is a lot more media attention and praise coming for Connor Bedard as Chicago’s next game will be a Hockey Night in Canada match against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Discover more from 6up.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.