TAKEAWAYS: Blackhawks Drop Second Loss in 3-1 Defeat to Jets

While Connor Bedard scored the first goal to start the afternoon off, the Chicago Blackhawks dropped their second straight loss in a 3-1 defeat to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. 

The Blackhawks looked to start their lead off early but struggled to find some other chances throughout the matchup where they were outshot 28-21. Overall, the team felt they provided some better looks but simply could not find the back of the net. 

“It was just one of those nights where it's hard to score, but collectively, I thought we had some chance and we moved the puck well,” Anthony Beauvillier said. 

Another improvement that head coach Luke Richardson noted included the team’s power play unit. After a few practices and a new look at the first unit with Beauvillier, he noticed more movement compared to the game against Detroit on Thursday.

However, the second-year head coach stated that they couldn’t out-match the Jet’s power play unit that went 1-for-4. 

“I thought our power play looked better tonight, but unfortunately, we didn't match them there,” Richardson said. “I think that might have been something that we could have gotten a little bit of momentum off of and give it a little bit of a push at the end.” 

With the continued struggle with some recent losses, Bedard showed his team how he used his frustration to create some positives for the team to spark some energy. 

Jarred Tinordi, who returned to the lineup today, praised the rookie for the passion he showed out on the ice. As the schedule goes on, he hopes to see the team provide a similar attitude as they look to bring back their winning mentality. 

“From this group, we have to play with a little bit more emotion out there every single shift not just sometimes or not when we're down and we're chasing a little bit, it has to go right from the start,” Tinordi said.

BEAUVILLIER MAKES BLACKHAWKS DEBUT 

After he joined the team in Friday’s practice, Beauvillier made his Blackhawks debut in Winnipeg. The forward joined Bedard and Philipp Kurashev on the team’s first line as well as the power play.

Although there are some things they still need to work on, he knows that the three can build something strong as he continues to learn the team’s system. 

“I definitely had a lot of fun playing these two guys,” Beauvillier said. “They’re both smart players who can make a lot of plays at high speed. I just tried to win them some pucks and tried to get to the net. There's definitely some stuff we have to build on, but overall, I thought it was pretty good.”

Richardson also became impressed with the different chances they created in their first game together and agreed with the 26-year-old forward on the possible chemistry that they could build. 

“They created some good chances and a couple of two-on-one chances,” Richardson said. “Any luck, that would have given us a few more points up on the scoreboard, but I think it's something that's a good starting point.” 

BEDARD EXTENDS POINT STREAK

In the first period, Bedard opened up the score for the Blackhawks to try and start some momentum for the team’s offense. As he added another point, the forward extended his road point streak to eight games and set a new franchise record for the longest by a rookie.

The 2023 first-overall pick surpassed Darryl Sutter who produced a point in seven games in 1980-81. With eight goals and four assists, he produced the second-longest point in NHL history by a player 18 years or younger, passing Sidney Crosby, Steve Yzerman and Sylvain Turgeon. 

He currently trails Nathan MacKinnon who produced a point in 16 games set in 2013-14.