Connor Bedard scores first NHL goal in Blackhawks’ second game: How has he looked so far?

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Chicago Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard scored his first career NHL goal in the first period of Wednesday’s 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins. Here’s what you need to know:

The 18-year-old’s goal came just over five minutes into the game to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead.
He scored on a wraparound after his initial shot was deflected by Linus Ullmark. Taylor Hall and Ryan Donato were credited with assists.
The 2023 No. 1 pick made his debut Tuesday, tallying one assist in Chicago’s 4-2 win over Pittsburgh.
Hall was injured in the second period after taking a hit and was later ruled out after playing through one more shift.

October 11, 2023: Connor Bedard scores his first career goal in the NHL ✍️

🎥 @NHLBlackhawks pic.twitter.com/wO3vJMxm9z

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) October 11, 2023

How Bedard scored his first NHL goal

Seth Jones decided to watch all of Bedard’s goals from last season before they officially became teammates. “It took me a while,” Jones recalled. The thing Jones learned was Bedard scored a ton of goals in a ton of ways. There’s no one “Bedard spot” on the ice. Bedard’s first two NHL games and his first NHL goal have been further proof of that. He takes shots wherever, whenever.

On his first NHL goal, he attempted to beat Ullmark from an acute angle on the right side. The shot was blocked, but Bedard stuck with it, recovered his own rebound, skated around the net and tucked the puck into the net before Ullmark could get to the post. One down who knows how many to go. — Scott Powers, Chicago Blackhawks writer

How big was this for Bedard?

There was palpable relief in Bedard’s celebration, as he pumped both fists at his side and let out a primal scream. To hear Bedard talk after his outstanding debut Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, you’d think he was mired in some interminable goal drought after putting in just one empty-netter in four preseason games plus the season-opener.

“I’m having a tough time putting it in the net these past four or five games, but hopefully that comes,” he said after a dominant possession night, with 11 shot attempts and his first NHL assist while matching up against Sidney Crosby.

Bedard’s simply used to scoring, and expects to score almost at will on a nightly basis. His frustration was evident, and coach Luke Richardson spoke about how Bedard is going to have to learn to lighten up a bit if he’s going to succeed in the NHL. Bedard can’t dwell too much on missed opportunities and perceived slumps.

Part of his adjustment to the NHL will be accepting the fact that he’s just not going to score 81 goals in 64 games like he did last season in the Western Hockey League. (At least, we assume he won’t. Who knows with this kid?) — Mark Lazerus, Chicago Blackhawks writer

GO DEEPER

'Blindside hit' on Taylor Hall, Connor Bedard's goal a 'big relief': Blackhawks observations

Happy homecoming

It was a nice twist that two former Bruins assisted on Bedard’s first goal in Boston. Hall spent the past two-plus seasons in Boston, and Donato started his career with the Bruins after three years at Harvard. Hall, along with Nick Foligno, were honored with a tribute video shortly after the goal. — Lazerus

The Bedard Effect

Asked last month if he was secretly thrilled that Bedard ended up in a major media market, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman demurred and said simply, “We’re thrilled to have him in the league.” But there’s no doubt the good folks at ESPN and TNT were celebrating when the draft lottery results were announced.

Tuesday’s opener against the Penguins was the most-viewed hockey game in ESPN history, according to the network, drawing an average of 1.43 million viewers. That’s up 64 percent from last year’s prime-time opener. Wednesday’s game was on TNT, and the Blackhawks are scheduled to have 13 total games on national TV this season. — Lazerus

Required reading

(Photo: Winslow Townson / USA Today)