The former Regina Pat has 31 points so far this season, placing him fourth in the league behind Nathan MacKinnon, Macklin Celebrini and Connor McDavid. While the Hawks do not necessarily live or die with Bedard, the playmaker’s ability to be a game-changer has been noticeable this year.

After the Blackhawks outshot the Wild 20-5 in the first period, Jason Dickinson put Chicago ahead 1-0 at 5:41 of the second, scoring from the slot when the puck came off the stick of Minnesota forward Yakov Trenin along the left-wing boards.

CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks were defeated at the United Center by the red-hot Minnesota Wild. This win came after holding a 2-0 lead with one minute remaining in the second period. Goals scored by Jason Dickinson and Connor Bedard gave Chicago the 2-0 lead, but they eventually let it slip away as the game went along.

Kirill Kaprizov scored 1:36 into overtime to lift the Minnesota Wild to a 4-3 win over the host Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Matt Boldy added one goal and two assists for Minnesota, which won its sixth game in a row.

How will Chicago handle its first real adversity since an impressive first quarter of the season raised expectations?

Nashville (7-12-4, 18 points) ended a losing streak on Nov. 26 with a 6-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings. The Predators scored five goals in the third period, their most in a period since 2019. Goaltender Justus Annunen made 28 saves and earned his first win of the season.