NHL News: Jeff Blashill makes surprising positive remark about Connor Bedard, Blackhawks after historic blowout losses

Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks lost by six goals in back-to-back outings in the 2025-26 NHL season. Now, the Hawks are down to two options: sink or swim. On that note, Jeff Blashill delivered a wake-up call to the team, though he also offered a surprisingly silver-lining remark.

After losing 6-0 and 7-1 to the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, respectively, on consecutive nights, the Blackhawks accomplished what no other NHL team had in 25 years. The Atlanta Thrashers were the last team to lose back-to-back games by six goals or more, and there’s a reason that organization hasn’t been around for a while.

However, Blashill didn’t go completely ballistic on Bedard and the Blackhawks. Instead, the first-year head coach in Chicago delivered a sincere message to the team, seemingly looking at the glass half full in the 2025-26 NHL season.

“We’ll get out of here, fly home and get back out [to practice] on Tuesday. But there’s lessons to be learned. The one thing I’ve been impressed [about] with this team is, they’ve learned lessons,” Blashill admitted after the 7-1 defeat in Anaheim, via Chicago Sun-Times. “This is a time where it felt like they didn’t learn a lesson.”

Jeff Blashill during the 2018 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship

Wake-up call for Bedard and company

The last few weeks have been particularly tough for Chicago. After a promising start to the season, adversity has hit the Blackhawks in the shape of concerning losses. Now, with the team mired in a two-game losing streak, the Hawks return home from a tough road trip. Chicago was outscored 6-18 in the four-game road trip through the West. Needless to say, it wasn’t how the Hawks expected their visit to Nevada and California to go.

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“When you get your butt kicked on the scoreboard two nights in a row like that — and tonight was a total, total whooping — your confidence slips,” Blashill added. “But this is a big-boy league, man. You’ve got to have mental toughness.“

What’s next for Chicago

Now, the Blackhawks will gear up to face the New York Rangers at the United Center—where Chicago has won just one of its last four home games. Moreover, the Blackhawks are 2-6-2 in their last 10 NHL outings. No other team has a worse mark in their last 10 games this season.

The hopeful start is now facing crucial hours, and it’s up to Bedard and the youngsters in the Windy City to change the tune. If not, this campaign may go down in the history books just like many of the previous ones—filled with frustration and embarrassment. The promising start may well have been an oasis, one the Hawks only realized wasn’t real after reaching for it to no avail countless times.