(670 The Score) Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard’s much-anticipated NHL debut was one to remember.
The 18-year-old Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft in June and one of the most-hyped prospects of all time, recorded an assist as the Blackhawks rallied from a two-goal deficit to earn a 4-2 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday evening in their season opener. Bedard was aggressive in his debut, firing 11 shots and registering five shots on goal while constantly putting pressure on the Penguins.
Bedard recorded his first NHL point late in the second period, when teammate Ryan Donato trimmed the Blackhawks’ deficit to 2-1 with a backhand goal in traffic in front of the net. Bedard started the sequence with a nifty pass that he left for Alex Vlasic in space. Vlasic put a shot on goal before Donato capitalized on his chance.
Asked in a postgame interview on ESPN what he’ll remember most about his debut, Bedard had a simple answer.
“Winning,” he said.
The Blackhawks then scored three times in the third period to rally for the victory. Jason Dickinson scored the tiebreaking goal 15:29 into the third period on a wrist shot.
“It shows our mindset,” Bedard told ESPN. “We’ve seen that throughout camp – guys want to win so bad.
“Everyone contributed, and it was a lot of fun.”
Bedard logged 21:29 of ice time, the most of any Blackhawks forward in the opener.