Rookie sensation Connor Bedard left the Chicago Blackhawks’ road game against the New Jersey Devils on Friday night with an undisclosed injury.
Bedard was on the receiving end of a hard hit from Devils defenseman Brendan Smith at 10:42 of the first period. When the 18-year-old left the ice, he was seen holding his jaw. Chicago announced at the start of the second period that he would not return.
“Just didn’t return to the game,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson told the media after the game. “We’re going to get everybody home and obviously get him them checked out at home to see if there’s anything further. So hopefully we’ll know more tomorrow.”
Chicago forward Boris Katchouk told reporters that he felt it was a dirty hit, but his coach wasn’t convinced.
“I didn’t really see it too many times yet,” Richardson said. “I just saw it quick on the bench. I don’t know if it was dirty. I think Connor was reaching for a puck and didn’t see him because he was behind one of their players. I don’t think he stepped up on him. I think he just kind of stopped and Connor kind of ran head-first into him.”
The No. 1 pick of the 2023 NHL Draft has had a stellar start to his career with the Blackhawks despite the team’s struggles. A forward, Bedard leads them in goals (15), assists (18) and points (33) and was named to the All-Star Game on Thursday.
The Blackhawks were even more short-handed during the third period when forward Nick Foligno (undisclosed) did not play.
–Field Level Media