Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard returned to practice Wednesday after missing Monday’s 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers because of illness. He was a victim of the bug that has ran rampant across the team in the past week.
“I tried to get myself up and go — I was trying to get to the game — but it didn’t work out unfortunately,” Bedard said. “It sucks to miss, obviously, but it is what it is.”
Bedard participated in the morning skate before the Edmonton game with no limitations. He revealed, though, that he wasn’t exactly 100%.
“It (hit) a little before (morning skate), and then I went back to bed for 20-30 minutes,” he said. “And then I was good enough and skated, and then after that, it started coming. You kind of wish it was earlier, so you had a little more time to get it out.”
Bedard had returned Friday in a 5-1 loss to the Washington Capitals after missing the previous 12 games because of a shoulder injury. He had two assists Saturday in the Hawks’ 3-0 road win against the Nashville Predators, giving him 46 points (19 goals, 27 assists) this season.
The Hawks will play 11 games in the next 21 days before the NHL breaks for the Winter Olympics beginning Feb. 5. It’s a gauntlet, but Bedard and Co. believe it will be good for gaining a rhythm.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys and we’re getting into the flow of it (with) more games under everyone’s belt,” Bedard said. “You get in such a routine that it becomes so natural. That’s where we’ve got to use pregame skates to do some stuff and fix some things.”
Center Frank Nazar took the ice Wednesday for the first time since he was hit in the face by a puck Dec. 20 in a 6-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators. He skated by himself in a noncontact sweater before practice.
Forward Teuvo Teräväinen won’t play against the Calgary Flames on Thursday because of the upper-body injury he suffered Monday. Forward Sam Lafferty didn’t practice Wednesday because of illness.