ST. LOUIS — Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard suffered a right shoulder injury on a last-second faceoff Friday night, wincing in pain as he left the ice after a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Bedard, who entered Friday tied for fifth in the NHL with 42 points, suffered the injury on a faceoff with Blues center Brayden Schenn with 0.8 seconds left. Schenn leaned forward and lifted his stuck under Bedard’s right arm after the puck drop. Bedard fell back on the ice, grasped at his right shoulder and immediately headed to the locker room, accompanied by a trainer, while his teammates remained on the ice and the bench.
Tyler Bertuzzi’s last-gasp shot was stopped by goalie Joel Hofer to seal the Hawks’ third loss in four games.
Coach Jeff Blashill called the play a “freak accident” and said Bedard will not play Saturday when the Hawks play host to the Detroit Red Wings at the United Center (7 p.m., CHSN).
“He won’t play tomorrow,” Blashill said. “I won’t know more info tomorrow, so don’t ask me tomorrow. At some point through the weekend, I’ll know more, so I’d probably have more info come Monday.”
Asked whether Bedard’s injury would be only short term, Blashill offered few details.
“I’d hate to say that without knowing the information,” he said. “Until we get the information, again, he’s not going to play tomorrow.”
Bedard was pushed into desperation mode when the Blues iced the puck and a half-second was put back on the clock. Blashill said he’d have to see the play again, but his initial impression was that nothing dirty occurred on the play.
Bedard had two assists, bringing his season total to 25 to go with 19 goals in 31 games. After the Hawks selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie and played in all 82 games last season.
Bedard, 20, won’t play Saturday for the first time since he missed 14 games during his rookie season after suffering a broken jaw on Jan. 5, 2024, against the New Jersey Devils.
On Friday, Bedard assisted on Wyatt Kaiser’s first-period goal and André Burakovsky’s third-period goal, the latter of which pulled the Hawks within 3-2 with 5:52 left in the third period. But the Blues held on for their third win in five games.
Spencer Knight finished with 23 saves in the second game this season between the longtime rivals. The Hawks won the first meeting 8-3 on Oct. 15 in St. Louis.