MONTREAL — Connor Bedard received a not-so-warm welcome in his first NHL game in Canada.
Three games into his career, the 18-year-old centre from North Vancouver, B.C., was booed by a raucous Bell Centre crowd every time he touched the puck as the Montreal Canadiens held off his Chicago Blackhawks with a 3-2 win in their home opener on Saturday night.
Bedard, hockey’s most anticipated prospect since Connor McDavid, wasn’t flustered by it.
“I loved it, it was great,” he said. “I didn't really think about it before the game but I thought it was awesome.
"I haven't done anything yet (in my career), I'm just starting, but to get that right now is good, and I think that makes the game more fun when the crowd is really into it like that … I enjoy that stuff."
Cole Caufield, Tanner Pearson and Sean Monahan — all in the second period — scored for Montreal (1-0-1). Canadiens goaltender Samuel Montembeault made 28 saves to earn a win in his first start of the season.
Tyler Johnson scored both goals for Chicago (1-2-0). Blackhawks netminder Petr Mrazek stopped 33 shots.
The jeers from the crowd weren’t enough to keep Bedard off the scoresheet, as he collected an assist late in the evening to boost his point streak to three games. He also had five shots — and many, many more attempts — and led Blackhawks forwards in ice time with 23:02.
"I think he was great, he had the puck all night, making plays,” said Chicago veteran Corey Perry. “He's in this league at 18 for a reason."
Chicago’s power play was not great, however. The Blackhawks went 0-for-7, partially due to some strong Canadiens penalty killing.
Montreal blocked 20 shots, including two — from Mike Matheson and Nick Suzuki — in the dying seconds to earn the win.
“That’s what it takes, it’s gotta hurt to win,” said Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis. “It looked like it hurt, too.”
St. Louis said it was good for the team to get reps on the penalty kill early in the season, but he’d prefer not to have to in a game.
“We made a few adjustments to the way we want to kill and you definitely want to try this, but I'd be OK just practising it in practice,” he said.
Montreal was 0-for-2 on the power play. The Canadiens were up 3-0 entering the third period, but allowed the Blackhawks to claw back.
Johnson cut Chicago’s deficit to two 34 seconds into the third after a lucky bounce found its way onto his stick in front of the net. He then buried his second with the goalie pulled to make it 3-2 with 1:21 left in the game.
Chicago nearly tied it when defenceman Seth Jones’s slap shot hit the post with under 10 seconds left after Bedard drew a double-minor high-sticking penalty, but the Blackhawks again couldn’t capitalize with the man-advantage as time ran out.
Bedard, who has one goal and two assists in three games this season after going first-overall in June’s entry draft, displayed his poise and world-class skill throughout the evening.
Caufield, Montreal’s top goal scorer, showed that Bedard wasn’t the only one on the ice with moves, as he kick-started Montreal’s run of three unanswered goals.
With the game scoreless early in the second period, Caufield danced around Chicago rookie Kevin Korchinski before hitting a rebound from his own backhand shot out of mid-air and into the net.
Pearson — acquired via trade from Vancouver before training camp — added to the lead at 7:56 with a blistering wrist shot that beat Mrazek over his left shoulder. It was his first goal for the Canadiens.
Monahan, who assisted Pearson's goal, made it 3-0 with just over two minutes left in the frame, taking a breakaway pass from forward Rafael Harvey-Pinard down the ice and scoring with a wrist shot.
St. Louis said that Monahan, who missed most of last season because of injury, adds some needed consistency to his team.
"You know what you're gonna get every night, he's very responsible, plays both sides of the puck, good offensively, very aware defensively, great on the draws,” he said. “There’s a lot to like with a healthy Sean Monahan, for sure.”
DACH LEAVES GAME
Canadiens forward Kirby Dach — Montreal’s second-line centre — left the game midway through the first period with a lower-body injury and did not return.
Dach, a former Blackhawk, was dumped into Chicago’s bench by defenceman Jarred Tinordi before exiting.
St. Louis said Dach would undergo further evaluation on Sunday.
‘FULL CIRCLE’ MOMENT
Saturday night wasn’t St. Louis’s first time game-planning against Bedard. In 2015, St. Louis coached his son Lucas’s team at Edmonton’s Brick Invitational Tournament, where Bedard won tournament MVP.
"I remember we played (St. Louis and his son) in like the semifinals," said Bedard on Friday. "We’d just beat them and I asked for a picture like right after. I don't think he was too happy.
"It's crazy how things kind of come full circle."
UP NEXT
Montreal hosts Minnesota on Tuesday.
Chicago continues its road trip with a game in Toronto on Monday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2023.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press