The Chicago Blackhawks had faced each NHL team before Monday night except one: the San Jose Sharks.
That changed at the United Center as two young Canadian stars, Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, squared off for the first time this season.
“(Bedard’s) a good friend and (we) grew up in the same area,” Celebrini said. “We like battling, and I don’t think either of us compare each other.”
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Bedard’s Hawks (22-25-9) drew first blood against Celebrini’s Sharks, winning 6-3 in the final home game before the NHL’s Olympic freeze. It was an urgent win for the Hawks, who snapped a five-game losing streak.
Bedard struck first on the power play at the 7-minute mark in the first period. The 20-year-old has scored a goal in three straight games and has five points in his last four, so he’s finding his rhythm before the break.
Celebrini, who will play for Team Canada at the Milan Cortina Olympics, treated the spectators with a goal of his own at 15:11 in the second period. It was his 28th of the season, continuing an unreal sophomore campaign for the 19-year-old.
“We’re both focused on the right things, and he handles himself very well,” Bedard said pregame of Celebrini, a fellow No. 1 draft pick. “He’s worried about his game and helping his team win, not thinking about the extracurricular stuff.”
There will be plenty of matchups for the pair in the future. Safe to say the league’s in good hands.
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“I’ve been following what he’s doing this year, but to play against it live, he does a lot of the little things really well and his skill is obviously top tier,” Hawks forward Jason Dickinson said about Celebrini. “A guy that battles that hard and has the skill to match it, he’s going to be — and is — a very special player.”
The Sharks were focused on Bedard, but maybe they should have paid more notice to the four other Hawks who scored. It was a dream matchup for hockey fans but a nightmare for the San Jose goaltenders.
“As a coach, you’d love to win 3-1 and all that stuff, but to score six matters,” Hawks coach Jeff Blashill said. “Guys feel better about themselves when that happens, and I know how important confidence is.”
With Monday’s goal, his 21st of the season, Bedard passed Eddie Olczyk (180) for the most points in team history before turning 21. He’s at 181 and counting, until his July birthday.
On a smaller scale, Bedard broke the Hawks’ 11-game power-play scoring drought. His goal was the first the team had scored with a man advantage in 27 tries.
Bedard was mic’d up for the game broadcast and was heard yelling, “Finally!” after his goal. A breath of fresh air, indeed.
“Me and (Alex) Vlasic were laughing, the power play scored three goals in a row on us this morning at the morning skate,” defenseman Connor Murphy said. “So after we scored, Vlasic looked at me and he goes, ‘We gave them some confidence this morning.'”
Second-period goals from Murphy, Ryan Donato, Sam Rinzel and Ilya Mikheyev forced a goalie change for the Sharks (27-23-4).
“It was good, our line was clicking,” Dickinson said. “(Donato and Mikheyev), they were on a different level and I just kind of got to ride them.”
The Donato-Dickinson-Mikheyev line had the most fun for the Hawks. The veterans combined for 10 points (three goals, seven assists), boosted by Mikheyev’s second career four-point night (one goal, three assists).
“They’re easy to play with, they’re so predictable,” Donato said. “(Dickinson’s) a great centerman, very reliable, and then (Mikheyev’s) a workhorse who always makes the right play.
“Those are the type of things you look for in players, and if you can help them be better, they help me be better. At the same time, we kind of work off each other (and) when you play like that, it’s fun.”
Donato, with two goals and two assists, showed his flashy moves on both of his horn sounds. The first spun defenseman Vincent Desharnais around before Donato scored.
He slid into the wall hard during his celebration. It was a pretty goal, one he paid for.
“I haven’t even watched it yet. I know I got buried after it, so it hurt a little bit.” Donato said. “It was lucky to go in and a lot of guys made a good play to make that happen.”
Donato still is looking for his offensive flair after he had a career-high 31 goals and 31 assists last season. He’s hoping his performance against the Sharks will give him momentum coming back from the Olympic break.
“You have plenty of chances that should go in and don’t, and sometimes they don’t deserve to go in and they go in,” said Donato, who’s up to 13 goals and 12 assists this season. “Hopefully that’s a good sign for the future.”
Bedard versus Celebrini overshadowed the return to the United Center of Sharks center Philipp Kurashev. The 26-year-old was drafted by the Hawks in 2018 and spent five seasons with the team.
He scored 130 points (48 goals, 82 assists) in 317 games with the Hawks. Kurashev, who had an assist Monday, signed a one-year, $1.2 million free-agent contract with the Sharks on July 1.