[ad_1]
When the Blackhawks schedule came out, the first thing many noticed was what figured to be a daunting five-game road trip to open the season.
Coaches and players took the glass-half full approach, however.
“It gives us a chance to rally around each other and bond,” said Nick Foligno, whose empty-net goal in Pittsburgh secured the Hawks’ 4-2 victory in the season opener Tuesday. “You know, it’s tough buildings we’re playing in. It’s not like going in and playing some easy games. It’s gonna be hard.”
It figured to be doubly difficult Wednesday at Boston, where the Bruins held a stirring pregame ceremony to honor the start of the franchise’s 100th season. Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Ray Bourque, Patrice Bergeron, Cam Neely, Eddie Shore, Willie O’Ree and many other legends were honored.
Then — just 5.5 minutes after the puck dropped — we saw more history at TD Garden when Connor Bedard scored his first professional goal to open the scoring.
Unfortunately for the Hawks, it was their only tally of the night and Boston came back to claim a 3-1 victory. Trent Frederic tied it midway through the first period, David Pastrnak gave Boston the lead at 13:09 of the second period, and Pastrnak iced it with an empty-netter.
Bedard’s goal was reminiscent of Patrick Kane’s Game 5 double-overtime goal during the 2016 playoffs.
Die-hard fans remember that one well.
After expertly maneuvering around three Blues deep in the offensive zone, Kane fired a shot that was saved by goalie Brian Elliott. With the puck sliding just wide of the post, Kane swooped around the net and scored.
In Bedard’s case, he took a pass from linemate Ryan Donato then wristed a shot at netminder Linus Ullmark. The puck bounced behind the net to Bedard, who pounced and wrapped it across the goal line at 5:37.
“I remember being behind the net and seeing it,” Bedard told reporters, “and I was like: ‘Don’t screw this up.’
“Once it went in (there) was a lot of joy for sure.”
Bergeron, who scored 427 goals during a 19-year career with Boston, went on the broadcast in the second period and said: “It was a smart hockey play. You can tell he’s got the talent, he’s got the hands, he’s got the vision as well. He made something out of nothing very fast.
“That’s what elite players do.”
Bedard finished with 6 shots on goal in 21:44 of ice time. He won 6 of 12 faceoffs after a 2-for-13 showing in the opener.
There was a scary moment with five minutes remaining when Bedard flew into the end boards after trying to knock home a rebound. Bedard winced in pain and laid on the ice for several moments before getting to his feet.
Linemate Taylor Hall suffered an apparent arm injury and is “week to week” according to coach Luke Richardson.
In the big picture, there was certainly no shame in this loss. After all, the Bruins — who set the league record with 135 points last season — are absolutely loaded.
The Hawks hung around thanks to a sterling performance by goalie Arvid Soderblom (30 saves) and solid defensive play from rookie Kevin Korchinski (5 blocked shots) and Seth Jones (4 blocks).
The Hawks’ next game is at Montreal on Saturday.
[ad_2]
