‘He’s starting to really figure it out’

Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard has NHL coming-out party: ‘He’s starting to really figure it out’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Connor Bedard’s NHL coming-out party finally happened after 12 games. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick by the Chicago Blackhawks erupted for a four-point outing in Thursday’s 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday at Amalie Arena, three of which came in the first period. He scored two goals and added two primary assists for his first multi-point game in the NHL.

According to a humble Bedard, “All the points I felt the other guys did great things and I got to benefit. It’s obviously nice getting on the scoresheet, but there’s a lot that goes into it.”

Nick Foligno had three assists for his first three-point game since Oct. 9, 2018, and Philipp Kurashev also had two assists, the first of which was a nifty pass on Bedard’s goal. But Bedard drove the offense for most of the night. He was relentless, which was evident on his first goal when he out-muscled 6-foot-7 Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Victor Hedman for the tap-in.

“He created the whole first goal,” Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson said. “He was on the defenseman hard. He’s got good stick skills. He’s not in there slashing sticks, he’s in there lifting sticks and disrupting things, and he turned the puck over and came back and got the goal, so that was great. I think that good things happen when you play hard and the right way.”

It showed again on his second goal when Bedard stripped former Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov in the neutral zone, immediately leading to the 2-on-1 chance.

Kevin Korchinski, who scored his first career NHL goal in the win, played with Bedard at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship for Team Canada and expressed his confidence in Bedard’s abilities.

Bedard’s offensive explosions were a regular occurrence in juniors, and he hopes that focusing on the process rather than the results will lead to more success in the NHL.

With the four-point outing, Bedard suddenly has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in 12 games with the Blackhawks, leading the team and knocking on the door of a point-per-game average. And he might just be getting warmed up.

“Instead of him feeling out the game — he’s new to the league — he’s starting to really figure it out and use his skill to the best of his ability,” Richardson said. “And it paid off for him and us tonight.”

Click here to follow the Blackhawks Talk Podcast.