The United Center was rocking Saturday night even before the puck dropped.
After an entire afternoon filled with pregame festivities, a red carpet arrival, exciting introductions, and a touching tribute to late chairman Rocky Wirtz, it only took the Blackhawks a minute and a half to get on the board. And it happened in the most satisfying way possible: a power play goal by none other than Connor Bedard, who notched his first marker in the United Center.
Newly acquired analyst Darren Pang said it best just before the puck dropped:
“If you’re not ready to play hockey after that, then this game is not for you.”
- Darren Pang
Connor Bedard understandably received a big ovation when he took the ice just before the puck dropped, and it was either the noise from his warm welcome that energized him or the thunderous crowd after the iconic national anthem. Either way, Bedard wasted no time getting his team on the board. With the Blackhawks’ first power play coming after the Golden Knights had too many men on the ice, Bedard lost the initial faceoff. But tremendous work from Corey Perry in the corner squirted the puck free, directly onto the stick of the 18-year-old. Bedard didn’t think twice, tucking it in high on the glove side of Adin Hill.
Bedard’s goal is a relief in multiple ways. The first-overall pick had struggled to convert on his league-leading amount of scoring chances, which was a scenario that frustrated him more than anyone else. Additionally, Chicago was having more than its fair share of struggles on the power play. Converting on 4.5% of chances, good for last in the league, the Blackhawks had let in more goals on the power play than they had scored. Could Bedard’s marker be a sign of what’s to come?
We probably won’t be highlighting every single goal in Bedard’s career, but this one was a lot of fun. As the Blackhawks continue to try to surprise the hockey world, Bedard will undoubtedly be at the forefront of that mission with many more goals like this beauty.
