(Pittsburgh) Connor Bedard did not disappoint in his NHL debut. The Chicago Blackhawks rookie collected an assist to help his club defeat Sidney Crosby and his Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 on Tuesday.
Selected first overall in the last draft, the 18-year-old played more than 21 minutes. He often shared the ice with Crosby, his childhood idol. Bedard fired five of the Blackhawks’ 35 shots toward Tristan Jarry.
The Blackhawks trailed 2-0 after Crosby started his 19e season with its 551e career goal. He shot into an almost empty cage after a pass from Jake Guentzel at 11:56 of the second period.
The visitors came from behind on a goal from Ryan Donato – Bedard getting an assist in the sequence – in the second period. Cole Guttman tied the game midway through the third and Jason Dickinson gave the Blackhawks the lead with 4:31 left in the game.
A Nick Foligno goal into an empty cage convinced a majority of the fans in attendance to leave the stands, where they gathered to watch one of the NHL’s legends take on the next big star.
Petr Mrazek blocked 38 pucks for the Blackhawks.
Crosby and Bryan Rust scored for the Penguins, who saw their 16-game playoff streak come to an end last spring. The Pennsylvania club made some changes this summer, notably adding Erik Karlsson, three-time winner of the Norris Trophy, awarded to the best defenseman in the NHL.
Despite Jarry’s 32 saves, the Penguins once again blew a lead late in the game, a problem that has often haunted them in 2022-23.