The Pittsburgh Penguins trip to Chicago may have gotten a bit tougher.

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins are set to take on the worst-ranked team in the NHL, but it might not be a walk in the park. The Chicago Blackhawks have struggled all season but have been without star rookie Connor Bedard since early January.

Bedard suffered a broken jaw and was expected to be out for six to eight weeks. According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, Bedard might return to the Blackhawks lineup against the Penguins.

"Word this morning that Blackhawks and Connor Bedard are checking in with doctors about the possibility of playing tonight vs Pittsburgh," Friedman stated in a tweet.

Nothing seems set in stone, but Bedard is nearing a return and could be a huge boost to the Blackhawks roster. If Bedard returns against the Penguins, that would be just a day under exactly six weeks since the injury occurred.

Bedard has far and away been the best player on the Blackhawks roster all season, with 15 goals and 18 assists for a team-leading 33 points. Reminder: he hasn’t played since January 5 and is still the team leader in points.

The Blackhawks have been bad, but they might have an upper hand against the Penguins. Not only does getting their scoring leader back add a ton of momentum, but the Penguins enter Chicago after arguably their ugliest loss of the season. On the second half of a back-to-back and the team is down on themselves, the Blackhawks might not be underdogs in this one.

The Penguins might also be without key forward Jake Guentzel as he continues to be evaluated for an upper-body injury.

A lot rides on this game for the Penguins, and no matter the circumstance, if they come out as losers, that should just about put a nail in the coffin of their season.

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