With 0.8 seconds left in the third quarter, the Chicago Blackhawks were already facing defeat. Now they are facing a potential disaster.
As the final horn sounded in the St. Louis Blues’ 3-2 victory, Blackhawks star Connor Bedard fell to the ice, then stood up clutching his right shoulder. Blues captain Brayden Schenn appeared to push him on the final face-off to stop the final shot, forcing his arm to tuck back awkwardly.
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Bader came off the ice in obvious pain.
Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill didn’t have any good news after the game, telling reporters that Bedard will miss at least Chicago’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. He used two words to describe the incident that caused the harm:
“Honestly, I think it was a freak accident,” Brashear said.
Whatever the case may be, the Blackhawks can only hold their breath and hope the absence extends into Saturday. The club’s next game is Tuesday against the Maple Leafs, with Bader having four days off starting Friday.
After years of hype, the 20-year-old Bedard has developed into one of the NHL’s top players, ranking third in the league with 44 points and fourth in the league with 19 goals. He had an assist on both of Chicago’s goals on Friday.