The NHL's top draft pick connected on Chicago's first shot. Journeyman Michael Carcone, with a hat trick and four points, and Arizona did the rest of the scoring.
Connor Bedard opened the scoring just 28 seconds in, then the Arizona Coyotes and Michael Carcone took charge and routed the Chicago Blackhawks 8-1 on Monday night in Tempe, Arizona.
Bedard fired in his fourth goal, and third in four games, off a crisp cross-ice pass from rookie defenseman Kevin Korchinski. After cruising down the slot, Bedard zipped off a high shot that beat Connor Ingram over the glove and landed in the upper right corner of the net. See link: https://x.com/NHLBlackhawks/status/1719175644544749793?s=20
"He called for it it, so I kind of took my head up and found him," Korchinski said.
Then the Coyotes got rolling, controlled play and connected for eight unanswered goals. The Blackhawks might have allowed more in a lackluster and disjointed performance if not for some terrific saves by Arvid Söderblom.
Chicago, now 3-6-0, suffered a big-time letdown after a 4-3 OT win at Vegas on Friday.
"The wins we have this year, our next game hasn't been our best," coach Luke Richardson said. "I think as a team we just didn't make a lot of decisions properly and they outbattled us in a lot of 1-on-1 areas."
Carcone Crushes Hawks
Carcone, a 27-year-old journeyman, posted his first hat trick in the NHL and added an assist. The 5-foot-9 forward entered with only seven career goals and four assists in 36 games over three seasons.
Jack McBain had a four-point night, on two goals and two assists. Josh Brown, Sean Durzi and Liam O'Brien also connected for the Coyotes.
Carcone tied it at 2:22 from a scrum in front. Brown, a defenseman, pinched in and put Arizona ahead 2-1 at 13:53 of the first off a rebound. Carcone made it 3-1 just over 2 minutes later with a power-play goal off a cross-ice feed.
The Coyotes poured it on with four more in the second, then McBain capped the scoring in the third with his second goal of the night on a give-and-go with Alex Kerfoot.
Freaky Goals
Carcone completed his hat trick when he flipped the puck over the back of the net, off Söderblom and into the net 5 minutes into the second period. See link: https://x.com/NHL/status/1719198088332542001?s=20
O'Brien knocked in the Coyotes' seventh goal with his skate with 4:34 left in the second. The score was washed out by the referees on the ice, but restored after a video review.
Rookie Competition
Coyotes prized rookie Logan Cooley settled for one assist in the contest to boost his total to six assists in eight games so far. Cooley has yet to score.
Bedard has the same point total, on four goals and two assists.
Drafted third overall by the Coyotes in 2022, the Cooley led Team USA in scoring at the WJC last January. Bedard led Team Canada.
More Bedard Numbers
Bedard had three shots on goal and attempted three more — two were blocked and one missed the net. The 18-year-old also became the youngest player in NHL history to score in the opening 30 seconds of a game.
Foligno, Tinordi Fight
Veteran Mike Foligno, Bedard's linemate for a second straight game, squared off in an old-school fight with O'Brien four seconds after Carcone's second goal.
Both players exchanged clean punches, with Foligno landing one on O'Brien's left eye that caused it to swell up. Foligno turns 36 on Halloween.
Tinordi and McBain dropped their gloves and went at it with minute left in the second period.
Goalie Switch
Petr Mrazek relieved Söderblom with 4:34 left in the second period after O'Brien's goal. Söderblom allowed seven goals on 22 shots. Mrazek yielded one goal on 11 shots.