Connor Bedard sparks Blackhawks' comeback win

CHICAGO (AP) — With the game on the line, Connor Bedard didn’t miss his chance to help the Chicago Blackhawks pull out a much-needed win. And he did it with flair.

The Blackhawks fought back for a 3-all tie with Anaheim in the second period after the Ducks scored on three of their first nine shots against Spencer Knight in the opening 10:25 of the contest.

“It’s not good enough in the first, but we know there’s no quitting here,” Bedard said. “We believe we can come back and win any game.”

Midway through the third, Ducks veteran Alex Killorn turned the puck over to Bedard deep in the Ducks zone. Bedard moved in alone to the front of the net and goalie Ville Husso, who had replaced injured starter Petr Mrazek less than a minute earlier.

Bedard flashed his shifty stick magic as he closed in on the crease. Forehand. Backhand. Forehand tuck just inside the right post and past Husso’s extended left pad to put Chicago ahead 4-3 at 9:55.

Bedard fired in a long-range empty-netter with 1:55 left to seal Chicago’s 5-3 win that ended a five-game losing streak. The 20-year-old forward added two assists for his third four-point game this season and fifth career game with four or more points since joining the Blackhawks as the NHL’s No. 1 draft pick in 2023.

“I was excited. I mean you don’t get those chances all the time where you, know where it kind of just pops to you and you get a B-way (breakaway),” Bedard said. “It was kind of just an unlucky play on their part, and I was able to be lucky enough to get that chance and put it in.

“It’s not easy for a goalie coming in in the third and we wanted to be aggressive on it.”

Bedard has 16 goals and 21 assists though 25 games of his third NHL season. His 37 points are tied with San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini, the 2024 top draft pick, for second in the league. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL with 44 points.

Bedard posted 10 goals and 13 assists in 14 games in November. Despite their recent slide, the Blackhawks are 11-9-5 as they try to emerge from a deep rebuild.

Bedard even started barking toward the Anaheim bench after his empty-netter on Sunday. He apparently was venting emotion after the Blackhawks scored five unanswered goal to win after a wretched start.

Coach Jeff Blashill appreciated Bedard showing a touch of fire.

“Yeah, to be honest with you,” Blashill said. “I just don’t know any great players that aren’t hyper-competitive. Like, he’s hyper-competitive and, whatever, that show itself different ways.

“I don’t know it he’s always demonstrative about it, but there are times where you probably are going to be demonstrative.”

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