Bedard's Back, Kane's Here, and the Hawks Still Have to Prove They Can Win Back-to-Back Games Like Grown-Ups

Chicago Blackhawks Winnipeg Jets

CHICAGO — Let's not pretend one win over Pittsburgh fixed everything. The Blackhawks are 2-5-0, last in the Central with four points, and tonight the Winnipeg Jets come into the United Center having won four of their last five. Puck drop is 7 p.m. CT (5 p.m. PT) on CHSN. So, yeah, buckle up.

But Tuesday sure was a nice change of scenery. Connor Bedard finally made his season debut and picked up an assist in a 5-3 win over the Penguins. He'd had offseason surgery on his left shoulder after getting hurt in a July 2 training session in Vancouver. He even threw a hit with that shoulder early in the game, because of course he did.

"It felt good," Bedard told reporters after the game, per The Associated Press. "If it wasn't feeling good, I wouldn't be out there."

And here's the part that'll make every Chicagoan of a certain vintage a little misty: Bedard skated on a line with Patrick Kane, the 500-goal, three-Cup legend who came home this offseason. Bedard said having Kane on the team "means so much to us." Fine. We're not crying, you're crying.

Now the cold water. Even after scoring five Tuesday, Chicago is averaging 2.43 goals a game, sixth-worst in the league. The Hawks are giving up 4.14 a night, and their power play is converting a sad 12.5 percent. Coach Jeff Blashill said the quiet part before Bedard's debut, per NHL.com: "We can't expect him to come and just carry us to victory." Correct. The kid just got here, and the rest of the room needs to show up.

There are bright spots worth watching. Frondell leads the team with six points, Kantserov has three goals, and Tyler Bertuzzi has four points. Chicago is still without Andrew Mangiapane (lower body, injured reserve), and Ryan Ellis is out for the season with a back injury.

Winnipeg's story is a weird one. The Jets suspended Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck after he skipped camp and demanded a trade, then just shrugged and kept winning with Stuart Skinner in net. Skinner is 3-0-1 with a 2.47 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. And this one stings: he's 5-0 lifetime against Chicago with a 1.98 goals-against average. The Jets' top line of Kyle Connor, Cole Perfetti and Mark Scheifele has scored 13 of the team's first 18 goals. Shut that line down and you've got a game. Josh Morrissey is day-to-day with an upper-body injury after sitting out Tuesday's 5-2 win over Minnesota, so Winnipeg's defense could be thin.

Spencer Knight (2-3-0, 3.64 goals-against average) will likely start for Chicago. His history against Winnipeg isn't exactly pretty: 1-2-3 with an .887 save percentage in six career games.

Bottom line: the Hawks got their franchise center back and gave the building a reason to get loud. Tonight is about whether that was a spark or just a nice evening. Beat a hot team with a goalie who owns you, and we'll start talking. Lose, and it's the same old story.