ST. LOUIS — It has become a recurring theme this season that even Connor Bedard’s greatness can’t save the Blackhawks from disaster some nights.
The Hawks’ meltdown in a 7-5 loss Saturday against the Blues served as the most dramatic example yet.
Bedard entered the night with 12 impressive goals on the season. But aside from perhaps his first one — the wraparound in Boston — he hadn’t yet produced a signature highlight, the kind that will be shown for years to come.
He changed that on his second shift Saturday. Finding himself alone behind the Blues’ net with no pressure, Bedard cradled the puck on his stick, reached around over goalie Jordan Binnington’s shoulder and pulled off a lacrosse goal — the so-called “Michigan” after former Wolverines wing Mike Legg scored that way in the 1996 NCAA Tournament.
In doing so, he set the internet aflame. The “Michigan” has been successfully done only a handful of times since Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov first pulled it off in 2019, although Ducks forward Trevor Zegras promptly did it himself later Saturday.
“[Connor] can make those plays whenever,” Hawks forward Taylor Raddysh said. “I don’t think anyone fully practices that. I don’t know how many chances you get to make a lacrosse goal. But he’s a guy that has the skills to do it.”
A late defensive and goaltending collapse negated much of the joy of Bedard’s special moment, though. After Nick Foligno scored the Hawks’ first short-handed goal of the season to give them a 5-2 lead, the Blues scored three goals in a four-minute span to tie the game.
Blues defenseman Justin Faulk then tallied the game-winner with 2:07 left after an inexcusable whiff by struggling goalie Arvid Soderblom. The Blues finished with a 22-2 advantage in shots on goal in the third period, sending the Hawks into the Christmas break frustrated.
“That’s the worst feeling in sports,” defenseman Jarred Tinordi said. “We just gave it away in the third period. Hopefully that sits with guys. It’s going to sit with me, for sure.”
Said coach Luke Richardson: “They got two power-play goals [that] gave them some life. They fed on that, and we clammed up. I didn’t think we were moving our feet. Even after the penalties, [we had] too much ‘D’-zone time, and bad things happen there.”
Soderblom’s season, in particular, seems to be worsening by the day. He has allowed 13 goals in his last two starts. But Richardson said the Swedish netminder will simply “have to look at some bright spots” and work more with goalie coach Jimmy Waite.
Johnson injured
Hawks forward Tyler Johnson looked gimpy in the third period Friday against the Canadiens. Despite finishing that game, he did not travel with the team to St. Louis. He’s the latest Hawk to get injured in a December full of injuries.
Cole Guttman took his spot in the lineup against the Blues, although the forward lines were all jumbled around.
Hungry Entwistle
In addition to the injuries, the Hawks have endured a small wave of illnesses lately, with Ryan Donato, MacKenzie Entwistle and Philipp Kurashev each coming down sick at different points in the last couple of weeks.
Entwistle might have been hit the hardest, missing two games and losing 10 pounds as a result of his illness. But he has been eating ravenously to replenish the weight on his 6-3 frame.
“You could have worse things in life than [getting to] eat and drink all the time,” he joked.
