In his second appearance in his first preseason game with the Chicago Blackhawks, Connor Bedard brought the United Center crowd out of their seats.
The first pick in the latest National League (NHL) amateur auction captured the puck in the defensive zone before weaving between several St. Louis Blues players thanks to excellent feints. However, number 98’s shot was rejected by Joel Hofer.
Watch Connor Bedard’s best moments in the video above.
In the second period, Bedard collected his first point with the team through a goal from Philipp Kurashev. First City had defenseman Kevin Korchinski’s shot deflected. The Blues goaltender blocked that initial threat, but Kurashev grabbed the rebound and fired the puck into the net.
Finally, in overtime, Connor Bedard launched a breakaway from Andreas Athanasiou, and he did not fail in the task, deceiving Will Cranley’s guard with a backhand shot and giving his team a 2-1 victory.
The young rookie finished his night of work with two assists, five shots and 21:42 of playing time, the highest total time among Chicago forwards.
The Hawks’ next meeting is Saturday against the Minnesota Wild.
A first goal for Tyler Toffoli with the Devils
In the New Jersey Devils’ 3-2 win over the New York Rangers, former Montreal Canadiens Tyler Toffoli stood out offensively and scored his first goal with his new team on Thursday night.
Jesper Bratt and Michael McLeod were the Devils’ other two scorers. New York Rangers defender Erik Gustaffson, who played for the Habs in the 2020-2021 season, also scored in the second period.
Igor Shesterkin played the first two periods of the game for the Blue Shirts and stopped 20 of the 21 pucks aimed at him. Quebecer Louis Domingue then appeared in front of the Rangers’ cage and allowed a goal.
Penguins and Capitals win
The Pittsburgh Penguins won 3-1 against the Buffalo Sabers on Thursday night. Drew O’Connor scored two goals in the win. Lars Eller, now the standard-bearer for the Pennsylvania club, delivered a pass.
In Alex Ovechkin’s first preseason game of the season, the Washington Capitals won 4-3 against the Detroit Red Wings. When Robby Fabbri reduced the score to 4-3 towards the end of the third period, the Russian legend’s teammates almost saw their lead completely lost, but the damage was already done.