Breaking down Connor Bedard’s first NHL game

Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Thank you, hockey gods, for the opening night schedule.

There were just three games, and all staggered. But the marquee, prime-time matchup featured a generational talent in Sidney Crosby, one of the best to ever do it, at one end.

With the crowd buzzing and the hockey world watching, Crosby kicked off his 16th season in style: winning the faceoff against a kid born just 13 days before Sid the Kid was drafted to kick off the season.

That kid was Connor Bedard. Suddenly, hockey’s next superstar was unleashed in the greatest league in the world. It was happening. And the hype was real. A top prospect, no more.

You couldn’t have asked for a better matchup, outside of maybe McDavid going up against the Next Great Connor. The atmosphere was electric. The game itself was excellent. Bedard doesn’t care about the glitz and the glamour, though. He’s famous for being a bit too humble at times. He told the media he wanted to make the team out of training camp – as if he wasn’t anointed Chicago’s franchise-savior months before he even got selected.

So a tally in the win column is all he could ask for. Mission accomplished.

Bedard’s first shift was nothing to write home about. He lost the opening draw to his childhood idol before using the next 43 seconds just to feel out the pace.

Still, the first second of the first game of the season for both teams was dominated by their two biggest stars. That’s marketing 101 for a league that, uh, doesn’t always capitalize.

His first good scoring chance came with just under five minutes to go in the first. In a sequence that saw the Blackhawks own the puck possession, Taylor Hall’s shot was blocked in front, with Bedard closing in for the rebound. Tristan Jarry came up big with the stop, keeping it a 1-0 game.

Bedard would register three shots on seven shot attempts, making him the most active Blackhawk in the first period. But he went 0-for-3 in the faceoff dot, which isn’t uncommon for an 18-year-old. Good luck going up against Sid every shift.

The Penguins would take a 2-0 lead midway through the second, with Crosby, of all people, getting his 1,503rd career point. But with 35:37 off the clock, Bedard wrote his name into the hockey history books with one of his own. With the Blackhawks controlling the pace, Bedard found a streaking Alex Vlasic, who got the puck near the net. Ryan Donato was there for the rebound, making it a 2-1 affair.

Through two periods, Bedard had five shots, leading all players. He also had 14:35 in ice time to lead Chicago’s forwards, including 2:53 on the man advantage. Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson wasn’t afraid to throw him to the wolves early.

We didn’t see much physicality in Bedard’s debut – something that was a bit of a positive in his game last year – but we saw just about everything else. Bedard’s an intelligent player. Even though he had a handful of own-zone rushes – his trademark in the WHL – he didn’t try to do everything himself like he did in Regina. Bedard also managed to slip past his assignments to find his own space, just as he did each night during the preseason.

Bedard finally won his first faceoff to kick off the third period, but he had an otherwise quiet third period. The Hawks scored three more to send the Penguins faithful to the exits with two minutes left in the game.

Bedard also put his wicked release on full display, although it didn’t result in anything past Jarry. There’s a reason NHLers have praised Bedard’s shot for years. It’s so deceptive, and he’s able to get it off his stick with so little effort. He put nothing else on the scoresheet but finished with one assist, five shots and 21:29 in ice time.

A solid debut, all things considered. Not an all-timer, but solid, nonetheless.

Connor Bedard has played one game in the National Hockey League. He won, and he snagged an assist. But it was one night, and it didn’t matter whether he scored. After years of nonstop talk about the sport’s next phenom, we finally saw what he could do against quality competition. The start of a special journey, one that could span another two decades.

A glimmer of hope for one of the NHL’s oldest franchises.

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Breaking down Connor Bedard’s first NHL game

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