Friday night’s game in St. Louis was as physical as any rivalry game, with multiple fights and big hits throughout. That’s not necessarily a surprise, as the Blackhawks and Blues are big Central Division rivals. In games like Friday’s, the goal for both teams is not just to win, but to also make it out healthy.
The Blackhawks did neither.
Connor Bedard–having a huge season with 42 points on the year and putting Chicago on his back–strolled into the faceoff circle with 0.8 seconds left, praying for a miracle against 34-year-old Brayden Schenn. Instead of playing the puck, Schenn instead decided to give Bedard a forearm shiver, sending the young superstar crumpling to the ice. He got to his feet, but was screaming in pain and went straight to the locker room.
It’s way too early to tell, as the game obviously ended right away, but this one didn’t look too good. With the amount of force that was delivered to his shoulder, Bedard could have suffered anything from a bad stinger or dislocation to a significant break or tear. Head coach Jeff Blashill already ruled him out for tomorrow’s home game against the Red Wings, and he said we can expect another update on Monday.
It’s not a great look for Schenn, either. It’s a normal hockey play to tie up your opponent, especially with 0.8 seconds left on the clock, but it’s also easy to make the conjecture that some part of that was intentional. Whether it was intentional or not, it’s arguably a worse look for Bedard’s teammates. The fact that there wasn’t an immediate response after they watched Bedard get hit and immediately leave the ice, especially with the game having gone final, is criminal.
If Bedard misses any significant amount of time after this hit, the Blackhawks could be in trouble. He’s scored or assisted on 46% of his team’s goals, a huge number that isn’t a great sign for their play without him.
It's also not great timing for the international stage. Bedard's name has been brought up quite a bit recently in Olympic conversations, and it seems to some that he's still on the roster bubble for Team Canada. The deadline for announcing rosters for the 2026 Olympics is New Year's Eve, so the young star may not have many more chances to make his case.
Tomorrow could be a good day to call Nick Lardis up for his NHL debut…
