Bedard had three goals and five helpers in his previous two games after going eight games without a goal and recording only four assists during that time. After 52 games, the 18-year-old center leads rookies in scoring with 20 goals and 51 points.
Sydney Crosby of Pittsburgh, who scored 102 points at the age of 18 on 39 goals and 63 assists in 2005–06, was the last rookie to contribute at a point per game.
One of Bedard’s idols was Crosby. And when Bedard scored and contributed four assists in a 7-2 thrashing of Anaheim on Tuesday, he joined Eddie Olczyk, one of the coaches of that awful Penguins club from 2005–06, as the only 18-year-olds in Blackhawks history to reach 20 goals in a season.
“His night could be best described as five points. “I felt he was pretty elusive and dynamic with the puck,” Luke Richardson, the coach, stated on Tuesday. “But the best thing about it is I think his defensive game is getting better.”He regains possession of the puck even more quickly by doing that since he is in the correct places. He is now able to execute fantastic line rushes with his teammates as a result. Nobody needs to be crouching, extending themselves, lying, or doing anything similar. I believe he is starting to realize that it’s all about playing the proper way.” View the video below.
Granted, those victories were against inferior teams like Arizona and Anaheim, who don’t obstruct space and passing lanes like elite defensive teams do. With 12 power-play opportunities, Bedard and the Blackhawks had more space, and in their last two games, Chicago has scored five goals while having the man advantage.
Return Below The Puck To Support, Then Take Off
Bedard has been leading the play, grabbing the puck, and then circling around to support.
Veteran Nick Foligno stated, “He’s under the puck… He’s not ahead of the play.” “As a centerman and player in this league, you can see that he understands where to position himself to create offense. As a result, his natural abilities take over.”
“Watching him develop into a young man and a player in this league who will dominate for years to come is what excites me, but I also understand how he’s going to accomplish that. It’s frightening because the entire league will be put on notice if he starts to figure it out and has nights like these.” View the video
Bedard and linemates Foligno and Philipp Kurashev have been getting along well.
On Tuesday, Kurashev, 24, registered two goals and two assists. The 36-year-old Foligno recorded a career-high four assists, one of which began with a board hold-in and set up Bedard’s score on a brilliant one-timer two minutes later.
Leave a Reply