Connor Bedard Watch: No. 1 pick, Blackhawks ready to host MacKinnon, Avalanche  

Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL Draft, has taken the NHL by storm 10 weeks into his professional career. Each Monday, NHL.com will take a look at what Bedard has done and what’s ahead for him with the Connor Bedard watch.

WHAT HE’S DONE

Bedard leads NHL rookies and the Blackhawks with 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 30 games, including two assists in a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday, when he played a season-high 23:16. Fellow rookies Marco Rossi of the Minnesota Wild (10 goals, seven assists) and Adam Fantilli of the Columbus Blue Jackets (eight goals, nine assists) are tied for second behind Bedard with 17 points each. Bedard’s 10-game road point streak, a Blackhawks record for a rookie, ended when Chicago lost 7-1 to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday. He had 14 points (nine goals, five assists) during the streak.

WHAT’S AHEAD THIS WEEK

The Blackhawks have three games before the Christmas break begins Dec. 24. They host the Colorado Avalanche at United Center on Tuesday (8:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, ALT, TVAS-D, SN1) and the Montreal Canadiens on Friday (8:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, TSN2, RDS) before playing the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; BSMW, NBCSCH+).

MOST INTRIGUING MATCHUP

Bedard vs. MacKinnon

Sure, this is the second go-around for these two, with the Avalanche beating the Blackhawks 4-0 on Oct. 19, which wrapped a five-game season-opening road trip for Chicago. But it’s always fun to see No. 1 vs. No. 1 (Nathan MacKinnon was taken first by the Avalanche in the 2013 NHL Draft). MacKinnon had a goal in the October game, and the ever-dangerous center is on a 15-game point streak after getting two goals and two assists in a 6-2 win against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday. He leads the Avalanche with 47 points (14 goals, 33 assists) in 31 games. MacKinnon was complimentary of Bedard prior to their first meeting, saying, “I mean, I didn’t have nearly a tenth of what he’s got going on. He’s a lot better than me at 18, that’s for sure.” Well, MacKinnon did have a 13-game point streak as a rookie in 2013-14, so obviously he was pretty good at 18 too. Let’s see how Bedard fares with matchups on the Blackhawks side at home Tuesday.

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME

Blackhawks vs. Blues

Bedard and the Blackhawks have seen all of this week’s opponents before, so it's tough to pick one, but let’s go with the Blues because this will be the first time they’ve seen them since coach Craig Berube was fired and replaced by Drew Bannister on an interim basis Tuesday. The Blues have won two in a row under Bannister, so there could be some different wrinkles in their overall game and in how they deal with Bedard with home-ice advantage. Bedard has no points in two games against the Blues this season.

EDGE STAT OF THE WEEK

Bedard’s top skating speed is in the 87th percentile among all skaters and his speed bursts of 20 mph-plus is among the 89th percentile among all skates.

THEY SAID IT

“You watch it on video lots because anytime you open up Instagram the first thing that comes up is his shot. Seeing it live, I thought overall he played really well. He had a couple of blocks as well, which was good to watch. He made a nice move, it was a very nice shot. Yeah, give the kid some props.” -- Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner on Bedard’s goal Tuesday