The new NHL season gets underway on Tuesday with three match-ups, including Connor Bedard’s regular-season debut with the Chicago Blackhawks. The 18-year-old phenom makes his first appearance against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It’s not expected to be a happy debut for Bedard, with the Penguins huge favorites to get the win. Bookmaker Pinnacle has the odds at -240 for Pittsburgh to win the game and at -184 for Crosby & Co. to be ahead already after the first period. You can back a Blackhawks win with odds at +206, and the odds are at +159 for Bedard’s crew to win the first period.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: October 9th, 8:00 A.M. (EST)
Bedard will no doubt hope to make a similar impact as he had when he made his preseason debut with the team. The top pick of this year’s draft produced two assists, including one on the game-winning goal, as the Blackhawks beat the St. Louis Blues in a tight battle 2-1 in overtime.
Overall, the preseason brought mixed results for Bedard. He averaged over a point per game, amassing one goal and four assists across four appearances, but the young centerman finished half of his games without a single point. Consistency can be an issue with young players, but many expect Bedard to fly out the gates in the NHL, and a lot of eyeballs will be on him from the very moment he steps on the ice Tuesday.
Bedard makes his bow in a very special match-up, as every Canadian kid has probably idolized Sidney Crosby growing up, and he will now get to play against No. 87. Even Crosby might have some extra motivation for the clash as he won’t want to get out-shined by a rookie in his own barn.
Crosby turned 36 in August and enters his 19th campaign in the league. He had one of his best seasons ever last term with a 93-point effort across 82 games and should be fueled in 2023-24 by the desire to avoid another long summer. The Penguins have just missed the playoffs for the first time in 17 seasons.
Going up against a rebuilding team puts Pittsburgh in a perfect spot to get its bounce-back campaign off to a good start. However, in previous years, things have been quite complicated for Crosby’s squad in this match-up. They could only split the season series with the Blackhawks a season ago, and across the last 15 head-to-head clashes, the Penguins have celebrated only three wins.
