With Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, and other hockey greats in the arena to commemorate the opening of the Boston Bruins’ 100th season, Chicago Blackhawks youngster Connor Bedard scored his first career NHL goal on Wednesday night.
“It’s a big relief,” said Bedard, who posed with the puck in the locker room after Boston’s 3-1 defeat. “You want to get one really fast and get that out of the way.” But it was a pretty great occasion, and it was a really beautiful structure to do it in.”
Boston won its season opener a year after shattering NHL records for victories and points before falling in the first round of the playoffs. David Pastrnak scored to break a second-period tie and added an empty-netter.
The Bruins’ win ruined Bedard’s milestone as the league’s most anticipated rookie in almost a decade. The No. 1 overall draft selection also had his first penalty and gave the Blackhawks a fright late in the third period when he slammed into the boards skates first and was sluggish to get up.
He stayed in the game and declared himself “great” afterwards.
“I think he was more gassed — tired and disappointed that he missed,” said Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson. “He’s all right. He just blew his opportunity. I felt the game was going to be tied when he went in there.”
Arvid Soderblom made 32 saves for the Blackhawks, who defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in their season opener on Tuesday, with Bedard assisting for his first NHL point. Bedard followed it up in Boston with a wraparound goal that beat Ullmark and made it 1-0.
Bedard became the fourth No. 1 overall selection, and the first since Nathan MacKinnon in 2013-14, to score in both of his first two professional games as an 18-year-old with his goal.
“I remember, like, being behind the net and kind of seeing it, and I was just like, ‘Don’t screw this up,’” Bedard said. “And then once it went in, just a lot of joy, for sure.”
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