The Chicago Blackhawks suffered a tough road loss to the Calgary Flames, ending their December winning streak that began on the 15th. After the 6-4 defeat, young star Connor Bedard didn’t hold back, delivering sharp criticism of his teammates.
Connor Bedard urged his teammates to take a hard look at themselves following the loss. “I think we’ve got to look ourselves in the mirror,” he said. Despite Bedard’s own strong performance—contributing a goal and two assists—and Tyler Bertuzzi leading the team with two goals, the Blackhawks fell short.
The second period proved disastrous for Chicago, allowing three goals that ultimately sealed their fate. For Bedard, the mistakes made during the game were inexcusable. “We can’t come out like that. I think we made too many mistakes that shouldn’t be made,” he said, sending a clear message to his teammates.
While the Blackhawks made a valiant attempt at a comeback late in the game, Bedard emphasized the importance of eliminating costly errors moving forward. “It’s stuff we can easily clean up, but it’s frustrating to have a game like that.”
Bedard Calls on Teammates to Step Up
Reflecting on the loss, Bedard highlighted the team’s resilience, but he made it clear that effort alone isn’t enough. “We know we’re not going to quit or feel like the game’s over,” he said. The Blackhawks showed promise in the third period, but it wasn’t sufficient to overcome the deficit. “We went into that third period feeling like we had a chance. That’s the frustrating part, how much better we played in that period.”
Blackhawks’ Next Game
Following the loss, the Blackhawks will have a day off before facing the Minnesota Wild on December 23 in another road game. They won’t return home until December 29, when they’ll host the Dallas Stars in their penultimate NHL game of the year.