chicago blackhawks connor bedard

Connor Bedard Wins His First NHL Game (& His First NHL Point)

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Connor Bedard finally played his first NHL game tonight against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It all started with Bedard skating around without his bucket in warm-up, which is pretty funny because that is a fine!

The game started with him and Sidney Crosby at the opening faceoff, with a special greeting from Referee Kelly Sutherland to Bedard welcoming him to the NHL, but Crosby won the draw; more on that later. However, Bedard has achieved a few huge milestones already after his first NHL game:

  • getting his first individual point by getting an assist
  • winning his NHL debut game

Here is Connor Bedard’s first NHL point:

After watching the game from start to finish, it is safe to say Connor Bedard will fit in nicely in the National Hockey League. This game was exciting to watch, with Bedard being the number-one pick with high expectations, and Sidney Crosby on the opposing side of things (Crosby being one of the best players ever to lace them up).

Let’s dig into Connor’s first NHL game and weigh in on his strengths and weaknesses in his debut:

Connor Bedard’s NHL Debut Strengths:

  • Bedard had a lot of ice time during this game, 21:29 minutes t be exact; Chicago is really giving him time to get comfortable playing, which will help him gain confidence quickly.
  • He also had a lot of powerplay ice time at 5:13 minutes.
  • He had great puck control throughout the game, with few giveaways. This is great, as these games can be nerve-wracking.
  • Bedard had 5 shots on goal, he had some great goal-scoring opportunities.
  • He got his first NHL assist and point.
  • He contributed to helping his team get their first win of the season. The Chicago Blackhawks won 4-2 over the Pittsburg Penguins.

Connor Bedard’s NHL Debut Weaknesses:

  • Poor face-off performance being 2/13. He lost the opening draw to Crosby, being 0/4 in the first and 0/4 in the second period.
  • An NHL debut game often comes with the jitters, you could see a bit of nerves early on in the game (but this is normal). He was a bit edgy on his skates, but this faded quickly as the game had done on.
  • Lots of shot attempts that didn’t make it to the net, couldn’t quite find a way through with his shot at times.
  • He had a couple of giveaways, luckily nothing that caused any damage.
  • He did get body checked down a couple of times, no big hits though.

Overall, Connor Bedard had a great NHL debut, as his team had a great comeback after being down 2-0 in the second period. This shows the Chicago Blackhawks have some grit and are ready for this year’s season.

It will be exciting to see what happens tomorrow when the Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks face off against last year’s top-season team, the Boston Bruins. Will Bedard score hist first NHL goal? Or will captain Brad Marchand show him what it’s really like to play in the tough NHL?

Connor Bedard NHL Debut Game Information:

Who?  Chicago Blackhawks vs Pittsburgh Penguins
When?  October 10th, 2023
Where?  Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena
Score: 4 – Chicago Blackhawks / 2 – Pittsburgh Penguins
Connor Bedard Points:  1 Assist 0 Goals
Connor Bedard Shots:  5 Shots on Goal
Connor Bedard Time on Ice:  21:29 minutes
Powerplay Time on Ice:  5:13 minutes
Faceoff 2/13

Here is some extra information tidbits from social media below form Connor Bedards first NHL game:

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