OTTAWA — Connor Bedard put his stamp on his second year — and the Chicago Blackhawks’ last game of the season — with two goals in the win over the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday.
Bedard also set up Frank Nazar to put away the game 48 seconds into overtime, 4-3.
While it capped off an otherwise miserable season for the second-to-last-place Hawks (25-46-11), it teased a promise of the future.
Still, everyone’s a critic.
“Honestly, we weren’t great,” Bedard said. “(Goalie Spencer Knight) was unbelievable, kept us in it. We were opportunistic and that’s good, but there were a lot of areas that weren’t great. But it’s nice to get the two points.”
Even Hawks interim coach Anders Sörensen downplayed the win.
“Throw away this game, I guess, because it wasn’t really …” he trailed off, perhaps alluding to the Senators resting some of their stars for the playoffs.
Sörensen, who finished his Hawks campaign 16-30-9, guided them to finish relatively strong — four wins and a shootout loss in their last six games (though they’d probably like a pardon for that 5-0 stinker in Pittsburgh).
“Overall, the last few road games have been better, a little bit better details and not giving up as much on the road,” Sörensen said.
“In Pittsburgh, obviously, for two periods (it) wasn’t great. But overall, a little bit better.”
Sörensen’s rightfully realistic: Despite the feel-good ending, there are a lot of warts on this team and a lot of growing pains ahead.
But the finale gave a snapshot of some aspects of the Hawks that appear to be headed in the right direction. Or at least a “maybe.”
1. Strength in numbers
On the Hawks’ side, the ice was littered with former first-round draft picks: Artyom Levshunov (2024), Bedard (’23), Oliver Moore (’23), Kevin Korchinski (’22), Frank Nazar (’22), Sam Rinzel (’22) and Lukas Reichel (’20).
Seven in all.
“When you’re playing, you’re not really looking at it like that,” Bedard said. “You don’t see it as a rebuild, you’re just going out and playing, trying to win.
“Obviously, that’s the situation we’re in with a lot of high draft picks and younger guys, so it’s great seeing guys come up and make an impact, and just imagining how much better everyone will be in a couple years, and that’s exciting to look forward to.”
2. Frank Nazar’s ascendance
He posted 12 goals and 14 assists in 53 games, but what a finish.
He had goals in three straight games and back-to-back game-winners in a shootout (in Montreal) and overtime (in Ottawa).
“He’s got a tremendous amount of speed,” Knight said. “That gets him a lot of chances, which is great, and I think he complements a lot of players very well.
“And he’s got a great shot. He’s got good hands, and he’s pretty smart, too. It’s been great to play with him so far, and I’m really looking forward to seeing him develop in the next few years.”
Nazar added, “I definitely think it’s been getting a lot better. I think I still have a lot more to work on, a lot more to do.
“It’s been a blast just being able to get so many games in and basically play this whole year. I’m excited to see what more I can do, what more the team can have in the future.”
3. Ryan Donato’s best finish
He made the primary assist on Bedard’s first goal, Donato’s 31st helper, to give him a matching set with his team-leading 31 goals. Both are career highs in a contract year.
4. Kevin Korchinski’s last look
It had been a challenging run for the Rockford call-up, who drew into the lineup for the finale. He also had an assist, his first apple of the season.
5. Oliver Moore’s smarts
The rookie forward assisted Joe Veleno’s goal, making a heady centering pass just shy of the offensive blue line bracketed by the Senators.
He thinks defense first and has shown a head for the game.
“He’s very smart,” Sörensen said Monday. “He asks a lot of good questions when you’re doing video with him, or team video.
“He has a lot of thoughtful questions, and that’s usually a good sign.”
6. Sam Rinzel — nose for the nuances?
Rinzel shows flashes of maturity despite his NHL career being nine games old.
Take Tuesday, for example: He came to Knight’s rescue with a kick save to preserve a Hawks lead.
“(Rinzel) and I were laughing about that,” Knight said. “That was a good touch by him. But that’s the thing, right? There have been a lot of times where those bounces don’t go your way, right? And that one went our way. I do believe that you create your own luck.
“When you do the right things, you’ll end up with weird bounces going your way, and I think that’s one of them.”
“He’s mature,” Sörensen said of Rinzel. “We really like the fact that he wants to have the puck. He takes control in shifts and I think that’s a great attribute as a player, especially as a young player to come in and do that, and you see it with (Artyom Levshunov) as well.”
7. Good Knight?
Yes, Knight allowed three goals, but the Hawks were outshot 37-16. That’s been a problem all season and something that needs to be addressed in the offseason.
Sörensen, not given to lavish praise or harsh criticism, said Knight was “phenomenal.”
“I thought for two periods it wasn’t even close. He kept us in the game. We were a little bit better in the third, but for two periods we had no business being in that game without him.”
Knight, hand-picked via trade as the Hawks’ potential future netminder, has just rolled with the punches that come with being a Hawks goalie.
“Felt good,” said the former Florida Panthers backup. “It was good to play a lot. I think that’s a good next step I want to take. It’s always about adjusting. When you play a lot and you go to playing less, that’s a kind of adjustment.
“And then when you go from playing not so much to playing more, that’s also an adjustment.”
Knight said when he’s getting into the game, he shuts out the circumstances and goes with the “flow.” You’ll hear him say that word often.
“You just stay focused, but you’re almost, like you said, kind of not thinking,” Knight said.
