Blackhawks lose 4-2 in Connor Bedard’s first game against Alex Ovechkin

Maybe someday, a young prodigy’s first game against Connor Bedard will be a storyline, as reporters ask the phenom how they’ll feel about facing one of the best of a prior generation. 

For now, Bedard is the young prodigy. And in the Blackhawks’ 4-2 loss Sunday to the Capitals, the superstar veteran Bedard opposed for the first time was Washington captain Alex Ovechkin. Then on Tuesday, Bedard will line up against players a little closer to his age: Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

“Just growing up and watching him, it was always him and [Sidney] Crosby battling,” Bedard said. “And of course McDavid, what he’s done in the last eight years is obviously remarkable. He’s going to go down as one of the best players ever. Him and Draisaitl of course, it’s pretty exciting.”

Unlike McDavid and Draisaitl, Bedard and Ovechkin aren’t in their prime. 

Bedard did have a pair of assists, including when his backhand cross-ice pass through the slot found Connor Murphy to cut the Hawks’ deficit to 4-2 with 1:42 left in the game. Bedard also had the secondary assist on Philipp Kurashev’s second-period goal that gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead.

However, Bedard was beaten down the ice by Anthony Mantha for Washington’s second-period equalizer and hasn’t scored a goal of his own since Dec. 2 as he navigates his rookie campaign. That goal was a lesson in the importance of shift length, when Bedard and fellow rookie Alex Vlasic stayed out for too long and were caught in the wrong places on the ice.

“A bigger guy just got his arm in front of [Bedard] and kind of got ahead of him,” Hawks coach Luke Richardson said. 

Ovechkin, meanwhile, is at the other end of his career. In his visit to the United Center last December, Ovechkin had a hat trick to reach 800 career goals. This time around, Ovechkin did collect an assist, but stayed stuck on five goals through 25 games and looked like a shadow of his best self.

Even if it’s a star in his twilight like Ovechkin or dominant modern-day forces such as McDavid and Draisaitl, Bedard doesn’t take the chance to play them for granted.

“Once you’re playing the game, it’s hockey and you can’t really be thinking about it too much,” Bedard said. “But before the game and going into a faceoff or something, it’s definitely pretty special. I feel pretty fortunate for those opportunities.”

The Hawks had an opportunity to win their third straight game, but they couldn’t overcome Washington’s three second-period goals. Murphy bemoaned that the Hawks weren’t sharp dealing with the Capitals’ rushes, and that the team lost emotion as the night wore on.

“[They] controlled the first shift of the second, they got physical a little bit and we didn’t seem to give the same response,” Murphy said.

Despite the defeat, the Hawks ended the homestand an encouraging 2-1-1 before their swing through Edmonton and Seattle. The only times the Hawks didn’t pick up two points were a shootout loss to Nashville, and Sunday’s second half of a back-to-back.

Nick Foligno thought the Hawks’ identity came out more over the last four games, though he was disappointed not to beat a team that played Saturday and had to travel Sunday.

“Still a long ways to go, but we can rally around the fact that our game is starting to come, and we’re seeing it more and more,” Foligno said. “Especially on the road now, in two tough buildings, we’re going to have to make sure it’s there more than ever.”