Bedard starts at center between Taylor Hall and Ryan Donato. He took his first shot on goal at 3:36 of the first period in his second shift. Wrist shot from left face-off circle blocked by Joel Hofer.
“I thought he was good,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said. “I think he really wants to score. There were a couple of times where I thought he was kind of a pigeon and doubled up a few times in the third episode. He reads a play very well. He made an incredible pass in the winning goal. It’s just comfortable with that puck. Like skating in traffic, he has no trouble playing with the bigger guys in this league, the stronger guys. He has that special quality that he seems to find what he needs to do at the right time. “
Petr Mrazek made saves on all eight shots he faced for Chicago in its first preseason game before being replaced by Drew Commesso (16 saves) midway through the second period.
Robert Thomas scored, and Hofer made 19 saves on 20 shots over two periods for St. Louis. Cranley made 12 saves.
Kevin Korchinski set up Kurashev’s goal with a pass off the left boards placed in front of Bedard to Kurashev, who scored on a backhand.
“You get pucks in the net and you get rewarded, so it’s good,” Korchinski said. “He (Bedard) is amazing. Two points, two apples. I think the main take away is his defensive game. He plays our system completely [defensive] zone. That kind of covers it up, you could say. It looks great.”