With 0.8 seconds left in the third period, the Chicago Blackhawks were already facing a loss. Now they're facing a potential disaster.
As the final horn sounded on a 3-2 St. Louis Blues win, Blackhawks star Connor Bedard went down on the ice and came up clutching his right shoulder. Blues captain Brayden Schenn appeared to have shoved him on the final face-off to prevent a final shot, forcing his arm awkwardly back.
Bedard left the ice in clear pain.
Connor Bedard got injured and had to hurry to the locker room after this play to end the gamepic.twitter.com/DzjpgWCgYa
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce)December 13, 2025
Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill didn't have any good news after the game, telling reporters Bedard will be out for at least Chicago's game against the Detroit Red Wings,per the Chicago Sun-Times. He had two words to describe the incident that caused the injury:
"I think it's a freak accident, to be honest with you," Blashill said.
Whatever the circumstances, the Blackhawks can only hold their breath and hope the missed time only extends to Saturday. The club's next game after that is Tuesday against the Maple Leafs, giving Bedard four days of rest from Friday.
After years of hype, the 20-year-old Bedard has already developed into one of the NHL's top players, tying for third in the league with 44 points and tied for fourth with 19 goals, putting him well on pace to exceed his numbers from last season. He notched assists on both of Chicago's goals Friday.
This wouldn't be the first time Bedard has missed time with a significant injury, as he missed a month during his rookie season with a broken jaw.
