Bedard continues to be 'offensive catalyst' for Blackhawks

CHICAGO -- Connor Bedard knocked his stick against his face shield moments after his attempt on a 2-on-1, which would have completed his first NHL hat trick, failed to connect.

“Yeah, if I was any good I’d put it in, but unfortunately it slid off,” the Chicago Blackhawks center said to laughs after he had two goals and an assist in a 7-4 win against the Arizona Coyotes at United Center on Sunday.

So, yeah, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft was definitely thinking hat trick.

“It's kind of a common, I mean an obvious answer, but yes,” he said. “You always want to score goals. I don't know, you're not playing thinking about it, but you always want to score.”

Sure, but Bedard did do that twice on Sunday, his first goals since Feb. 19 (nine games).

He also became the first 18-year-old in Blackhawks history to have three three-point games. Among active players, only three others had at least that many at that age: Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby (11), Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine (five) and Buffalo Sabres forward Jeff Skinner (five).

Bedard was a threat throughout against the Coyotes, finishing with a game-high seven shots on goal in 21:15 of ice time. And because he had been getting frustrated at his lack of goal-scoring, at the number of attempts that weren’t leading to results, it was a performance he probably needed for himself.

“As an offensive guy, I want to produce, and I think I probably had better games than this one where it wasn't going in,” Bedard said. “But it's nice to get a couple tonight, for sure.”

Bedard leads the Blackhawks and all NHL rookies in goals (19) and points (46) this season despite missing 14 games because of a broken jaw. Since returning from that injury on Feb. 15, Bedard has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 12 games, though he had just four assists and a minus-13 rating in his previous eight games prior to Sunday.

Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said he saw Bedard’s frustration building as well.

“Yeah, a little, and it’s normal for any hockey player, but [especially] a young guy that’s used to having so much success,” he said. “And he was still getting great looks, but he hit a crossbar and a post last game (a 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Saturday), and even tonight he missed one or two other ones. I think there was one in the second period that just glazed by the top right-hand corner. And obviously the 2-on-1 with (forward Colin) Blackwell in the third, he could’ve easily got another one there.

“I’m really happy he had a little success tonight. He’s probably thinking it’s not enough, but we’re happy for him.”

The Blackhawks were also happy for the spark Bedard provided on his first goal, a pass from behind the net that deflected in off the left leg of Coyotes defenseman J.J. Moser to cut it to 2-1 at 5:28 of the second period.

“He's an offensive catalyst for us, so when he's being effective and he's being a threat every single time he's on the ice, then our team feeds off that,” Blackwell said.

“I think it was a little bit of a relief getting a greasy goal. We've had a little bit of trouble this year getting into the blue paint, getting some of those greasy ones. Some people call it puck luck, but I don't necessarily believe in that. I think if you do the right things and you're working hard then that puck luck comes to you.”

Bedard has been an offensive threat throughout the season, and Sunday was a reminder of how dangerous he can be. He came oh-so-close to getting that hat trick, and when he skated back to the bench with less than a minute remaining in regulation, fans booed because they wanted him to stay out for another chance at it.

Considering how well he’s produced this season, it’s only a matter of time, though.

“He’s creative and he’s going to create those opportunities for himself, maybe not on a nightly basis but almost, right?” Richardson said. “I think he’s pretty confident he’ll have another shot at it.”