Connor Bedard received kindness from referees Tuesday and hostility from them Thursday.
In his second game as an unofficial Blackhawks alternate captain, Bedard was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that played a pivotal role in a 3-2 loss to the Kraken.
With 4:25 left and the score tied, Bedard got behind Kraken defenseman Ryan Lindgren for a breakaway, but the opportunity was thwarted by a Lindgren slash.
Referee Justin Kea saw nothing illegal about it, but he did take issue with Bedard’s animated pleas for a call and sent the Hawks’ young star to the box instead. With seconds left on the ensuing power-play, Seattle’s Jaden Schwartz jammed in the game-deciding goal.
It was a sharp contrast to two days prior against the Flames, when Bedard joked about the referees being “way nicer” to him because an “A” adorned his jersey.
“Obviously, in the moment, you think it’s a penalty,” Bedard said Thursday. “But I have to control my emotions in a better way. I put our team in a vulnerable spot there, so [I’ve] just got to be better.”
Connor Bedard took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after arguing there was a missed call on his breakaway attempt pic.twitter.com/hwh4YH7FR3
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Hawks coach Jeff Blashill gave a less measured opinion.
“When you don’t have position on a guy, you put your stick in there and you hit his glove…it’s a penalty,” Blashill said. “Yes, [Lindgren] got the stick, but the first contact was on his glove.
“Then, I don’t know what was said, but it better have been really, really personal to be that sensitive about it. Because you’re deciding games. … It better have been really, really personal if you’re not going to have enough thick skin to just keep playing through it.
The Hawks enjoyed their best second period of the season, generating a 14-1 advantage in scoring chances and scoring twice. The Kraken battled back early in the third, however, with two point shots through traffic that trickled past goalie Spencer Knight.
“They had a push, and we didn’t skate like we did in the second,” said Bedard, who recorded five shots on goal.
Another head hit
Hawks defenseman Connor Murphy was unscathed by a controversial hit to his head Tuesday, but forward Andre Burakovsky wasn’t so fortunate Thursday.
Burakovsky, trying to corral a bouncing puck entering the offensive zone, got blasted by Lindgren late in the first period. He went to the locker room and did not return.
Blashill said Burakovsky won’t play Friday at the Sabres and his status is undetermined beyond that. He argued it was a “bad hit” by Lindgren that also should’ve been penalized.
“It’s back-to-back games [of] guys going right to the head, and nothing really happens,” Bedard said before cursing.
The Hawks did get Tyler Bertuzzi back from his two-game injury absence and saw him immediately make an impact. Bertuzzi scored the opening goal before sending a spectacular assist to Teuvo Teravainen.
Peca’s impact
Lessons from new assistant coach Michael Peca, a two-time Selke Trophy winner as a player, have been helpful for many Hawks forwards this season.
“Right now, we’re working a lot on the penalty kill,” Colton Dach said. “That translates to the defensive side of it, as well. [We’re] working on getting on sticks, being on the defensive side, making sure we’re pushing guys out and limiting the plays into the middle.”
Peca has also worked wonders on the Hawks’ penalty kill. They have killed 34 of 40 opportunities (85%) since Oct. 23 and have allowed the sixth-fewest scoring chances per minute in the league during that span.
That stellar run made their inability to kill off Bedard’s penalty particularly frustrating given the situation.