Bedard’s 2 assists help Blackhawks defeat Blues in OT in preseason debut

CHICAGO -- Connor Bedard had two assists in his first NHL preseason game, including one in overtime, for the Chicago Blackhawks in a 2-1 victory against the St. Louis Blues at United Center on Thursday.

Andreas Athanasiou received Bedard’s pass behind the defense in the slot on the rush and scored the game-winner at 4:02.

“I saw he was half a zone behind the guy and I was 100 percent sure he was going to beat him,” Bedard said. “He can fly. Just kind of tried to lay one in there, and he made a really nice play.”

Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, assisted on Philipp Kurashev’s goal at 10:49 of the second period that put the Blackhawks ahead 1-0. He finished with five shots on goal and won 10 of 16 face-offs in 21:20 of ice time.

“It was good,” the 18-year-old center said. “It was a lot of fun to get out there. Really cool moment going on the first time, obviously the [national] anthem and everything. Was a bit of a scrambly game. Not really much flow, but I think that's us getting into it."

Bedard started at center between Taylor Hall and Ryan Donato. He took his first shot on goal at 3:36 of the first period during his second shift. The wrist shot from the left face-off circle was stopped by Joel Hofer.

“I thought he was good,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said. “I think he really wanted to score. There were a couple of times where I think he kind of dove in, maybe doubled up a few times in the third period and even in overtime once we got away with a 2-on-1 there. But he reads plays very well. He made an unbelievable pass on the winning goal. And we saw a lot of that. He just feels comfortable with that puck, like skating in traffic. He’s going to have no trouble playing with bigger guys in this league and stronger guys. He’s got that special quality that he seems to find what he needs to do at the right time.”

Petr Mrazek made the save on all eight shots he faced for Chicago in its first preseason game before he was replaced by Drew Commesso (16 saves) midway through the second period.

Robert Thomas scored, and Hofer made 19 saves on 20 shots through two periods for St. Louis. Will Cranley made 12 saves.

Kevin Korchinski set up Kurashev’s goal with a pass from the left boards that was tipped in front by Bedard before the rebound went to Kurashev, who scored on a backhand.

“You get pucks to the net and you get rewarded, so it was good,” Korchinski said. “He (Bedard) was awesome. Two points, two apples. I think the main takeaway was his defensive play. He's a guy who's playing our system perfectly in the [defensive] zone. That's something that gets overshadowed, you could say. That was awesome to see.”

Thomas tied it 1-1 at 9:00 of the third period, taking a drop pass in the slot from Pavel Buchnevich and scoring on a wrist shot.

Bedard moved in on Cranley but was stopped on a backhand at 12:08.

Blues coach Craig Berube said he was impressed by Bedard.

“He’s got a lot of talent,” Berube said. “His hockey IQ is obviously very high. He really scans the ice well and sees the ice well. He’s got great puck skills. He’s got a great shot. You’ve got to do a good job taking time and space away from him. You’ve got to have a real good stick on him. Just play him heavy when you can.”

Bedard, however, said he’s capable of playing much better.

“I didn't think I personally played great,” Bedard said. “It's really good to get the win -- obviously preseason. Nothing's better than winning. I felt good in the systems, which is a good thing. In the [defensive] zone I felt pretty comfortable. But I think I can do a lot better.”