Fired-up Connor Bedard rallies Blackhawks past Ducks for much-needed win

The Blackhawks desperately needed a win Sunday, and Connor Bedard ensured they got one.

Bedard’s four-point performance helped the Hawks rally from an early three-goal deficit to beat the Ducks 5-3, snapping their five-game losing streak in the finale of their four-game homestand.

The 20-year-old star did it with swagger and passion, too, jawing back and forth with his opponents while sending them home empty-handed.

“[Connor] plays with fire,” Jason Dickinson said. “The best players in the league, they always rise to the occasion. Whatever you have to do to get yourself there is whatever you have to do. Everybody’s got their own recipe. For Connor, it’s to play with a little bit of swagger.

“[When] he puts up two [goals] and two [assists], he can walk around with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder and let them know he’s here.”

Bedard agreed with the assertion that he plays best when fired up.

“Every game, you have to find it and try to bring that out,” Bedard said. “There’s no more motivation for one game than another, but it’s fun when we have a comeback like that and emotions are running high.”

Before the game, coach Jeff Blashill talked about how the Hawks had generated more scoring chances than their opponents in three of their last five losses and about how their first periods “have been great” all season long. Outwardly, there was no sense of panic.

But when even that bastion of great starts fell — as the Ducks scored twice in the opening minute — inwardly there must have been serious concern. Entering their difficult upcoming four-game road trip mired in a six-game slide could’ve been the recipe for a season-crushing implosion.

That’s why the comeback that ensued looms so large. The Hawks still need several more wins to make up for their plethora of recent blown leads, but in front of a sellout crowd of 19,912 at the United Center, the turnaround had to start now — and it did.

“You’re [down] 3-0, and you’re a little bit shell-shocked,” Blashill said. “I thought our guys did a pretty good job of not trying to make it up in one shift. You’ve got to try to stay with it. You’ve just got to start playing good hockey. At that point, there’s tons of time left.”

Tyler Bertuzzi’s power-play goal late in the first period helped build some confidence, goals from Ryan Greene and Colton Dach pulled the Hawks level before the second intermission and then Bedard took over in the third.

The Ducks were forced to turn to third-string goalie Ville Husso with less than 11 minutes left due to an injury to ex-Hawks goalie Petr Mrazek, and Bedard welcomed an ice-cold Husso to the game with a beautiful move that gave the Hawks the lead.

Bedard later hit an empty net, but several skirmishes between him and Ducks center Mason McTavish — including one brawl after the final horn — provided the real last-minute fireworks. The Hawks finished with a 26-24 advantage in scoring chances, including 20-12 over the final 40 minutes.

“I just don’t know any great players who aren’t hyper-competitive,” Blashill said. “That shows itself in different ways. I don’t think he’s always demonstrative about it. But there’s probably times you’re going to be demonstrative.”

Bedard insisted his beef with McTavish applied solely on the ice. They were once roommates on Team Canada, and they planned to catch up in the hallway after the game. Bedard described him as a “fun guy to play against.”

The stage is set, however, for a potentially heated rematch next Sunday in Anaheim. The Hawks have strangely dominated the Ducks in recent years through both clubs’ rebuilds, going 14-3-1 against them since 2019.