The Blackhawks skated at the United Center in Chicago on Saturday. The Leafs will hold a media availability at 4:45 pm ET.
Connor Bedard is just 20-years-old and only in his third NHL season, but he’s seen this Leafs story before.
“I feel like every year they kind of start the first 10-15 games [slow] and the whole city is kind of panicked,” the Blackhawks centre said. “They’re a good team.”
It’s true that the Leafs have had early-season struggles in recent seasons, but this feels different. Toronto is winless in four games (0-3-1) and sitting dead last in goals against per game (3.83). They are also missing several key players due to injury, including captain Auston Matthews.
“Matthews is out, which sucks,” said Bedard, who studied the Matthews release while growing up. “But [William] Nylander, [Matthew] Knies, those guys can make plays and if you’re not aware for a second, they’re going to make you pay. We’ve got to be ready for that.”
What type of opponent is Jeff Blashill expecting?
“One that’s hungry,” the Blackhawks coach said. “We’re ready to get their best for sure … A guy like Auston is one of the best players in the league but, with that said, they’ve got really good players still in their lineup, like elite players, and so we’re expecting to get their best.”
Chicago is 10-1-3 in their last 14 games against the Leafs at the United Center.
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Nylander leads the Leafs in scoring with 25 points in 15 games.
“It seems like he’s always in a spot where he can make a play or beat a guy or something,” Bedard said. “He’s one of the funnest players to watch in the league, and he’s someone that you can learn a lot from just watching.”
Bedard keeps a close eye on Nylander’s edge work.
“Every time he’s coming out of a turn or he’s got a guy on him, he’s always just so balanced,” Bedard said. “That helps him make more plays. I think he’s one of the top guys in the league for that.”
Nylander has picked up a point in his last 12 games.
“World, world, world class skill,” Blashill said. “As skilled as anybody in the league. He can change a game [with] his skill at any moment. Very, very smart hockey player, who knows when to kind of take off and get into those breakaway situations. Tremendous amount of respect for the player that he is and what he brings to the table. We know he can change a game in an instant.”
And Nylander enjoys these trips to Chicago where his dad, Michael Nylander, played four seasons for the Blackhawks (1999-2003).
“It’s awesome,” the 29-year-old Swede said. “I’ve been in that rink when I was a kid, so a lot of fun memories running around there in that family room with my brother.”
Nylander usually has family and friends in the building when he visits.
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Bedard is on a nine-game point streak, which matches his career long run. He’s scored in four straight games, which is a new career high streak.
And, earlier this week, Bedard earned some high praise from Wayne Gretzky.
“He’s been absolutely spectacular this year,” Gretzky said during a TNT broadcast. “It’s such a pleasure to see because coming into this league at 18, you [have] all this pressure on you, you [have] all of this focus on you, you’re not a very good team, you’re a young team, you’re rebuilding. He was front and centre. He didn’t back away from anybody or shy away from the media. And for him to work as hard as he did in the off-season to come in and play at the level he’s playing at now, he’s earning his way onto Team Canada. He worked all summer to get to that point where people were going to say, ‘Hey, it’s really hard to keep him off the team.’”
Bedard appreciated the shout out.
“Obviously nice of him,” the Vancouver native said. “He’s probably someone who is the biggest figure in hockey history, so if he is even talking about you, that’s obviously a good thing … It’s cool if he likes what I’m doing or likes what he sees out of me.”
Bedard is strengthening his case to be included on Canada’s Olympic roster not just with his gaudy numbers (26 points in 19 games, tied for third overall in NHL scoring) but with his well-rounded play.
“He’s been really, really good at putting himself in position to create offence by checking,” said Blashill. “He hasn’t cheated for his offence at all.”
Bedard leads all Blackhawks forwards with a plus-eight mark.
“He’s going to score points, a lot of them, in this league but for him to be able to do it while also having that thought process of making sure that he takes care of his all-around game has been great,” Blashill continued. “I think he’s led the way that way, to be honest with you. He’s been our leader internally in our scoring chance plus-minus by a lot, and a lot of that isn’t just because he creates a lot, it’s because he hasn’t been involved in giving up a lot.”
Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno noticed a different Bedard when he showed up for training camp this season.
“He’s really confident in his training over the summer,” Foligno observed. “And even just probably getting some rest helped too, honestly. He just looks more refreshed and excited about what’s ahead and I think he’s learning what it is to be a pro.”
Bedard’s development is a big reason why the Blackhawks, who finished 31st overall last season, are holding down a playoff spot so far this year.
“It’s been a fun group,” Bedard said. “We got a really tight-knit group and we’re playing for each other. We’ve really been in every game, so that part of it has been fun.”
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With Matthews out, John Tavares is taking over as the top-line centre. He responded with a two-goal effort in Thursday’s game against the Kings.
“He brings so much experience,” said defenceman Simon Benoit. “He’s been around the league for so long, and he’s such a good guy off the ice too. He’s always ready to help out, give some advice. Having him around has been a blessing.”
The 35-year-old Tavares is no longer the captain in Toronto, but he continues to play a big leadership role on the team.
“An incredible guy in the locker room,” said 24-year-old goalie Dennis Hildeby. “Very supportive, which is appreciated from a young guy like me.”
“He’s always got the right voice,” said winger Bobby McMann. “He’s always got a good voice, good things to say, has a good beat on the room. He’s been around a long time so he knows that there’s ebbs and flows in seasons. He knows that it’s not the end all, be all, and we need to continue to work on our game.”
Tavares has stressed the need for urgency during Toronto’s recent slide while also trying to remain calm.
“There’s lots of hockey left, but that doesn’t mean you take any game for granted,” Tavares said on Thursday night. “We still have more than half a season to go. We’re not even at the quarter mark yet. So, just stay together, stay composed, and know we have to play better, and we just got to continue to stay with it.”
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The vibes are good in Chicago right now with the Blackhawks riding a four-game point streak (3-0-1). Blashill even started dancing during his media session on Saturday. Well, kind of.
Blashill was in the middle of singing the praises of speedy winger Ilya Mikheyev when the song “Come On Eileen” by the English group Dexys Midnight Runners started playing loudly down the hall in the Leafs dressing room.
“I used to dance to this in college a lot,” the 51-year-old said to laughs. “I would jump up and down so this is bringing back unreal memories. Unreal memories … It’s a lot of this (jumps up and down).”
Needless to say, Blashill lost his train of thought with his answer on Mikheyev.
“OK, I can’t finish,” he said with a smile. “You got the gist.”
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The Leafs did not hold a skate on Saturday morning, but winger Sammy Blais took the ice. He only logged four minutes and 19 seconds on Thursday and is expected to be a healthy scratch in Chicago.
Easton Cowan was called up from the AHL Marlies on Friday and is expected to draw into the Leafs lineup for the first time since Nov. 3.
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Projected Leafs lineup for Saturday’s game:
F
Robertson – Tavares – Nylander
Knies – Roy – Cowan
Maccelli – Domi – McMann
Joshua – Lorentz – Jarnkrok
D
Rielly – Carlo
Benoit – McCabe
Mermis – Ekman-Larsson
G
Woll starts
Hildeby
Lines at Blackhawks skate on Saturday:
F
Bertuzzi – Bedard – Burakovsky
Teravainen – Greene – Mikheyev
Moore – Donato – Dach
Slaggert – Foligno – Lafferty
Nazar, Dickinson
D
Vlasic – Crevier
Kaiser – Levshunov
Grzelcyk – Murphy
Rinzel
G
Knight starts
Söderblom