Bedard shines, 3rd-youngest with 4-point game
Top draft pick Connor Bedard had his first multi-point game with two goals and two assists as the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Lightning 5-3 on Thursday night to snap an eight-game losing streak against Tampa Bay.
Bedard powered the Blackhawks to their first win over the Lightning since a 4-3 shootout victory on March 5, 2021.
“I think it’s just kind of sticking with it,” Bedard said of the biggest night in his young NHL career. “I felt like there were games when I could have created more than this and I had zero points. That’s how things go sometimes. It feels good to get on the scoresheet.”
At 18 years, 115 days, Bedard is the third-youngest player to record a four-point game in NHL history, behind only Ted Kennedy (18 years, 27 days) in 1944 and Bep Guidolin (18 years, 58 days) in 1944, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Rookie defenseman Kevin Korchinski and former Lightning forwards Tyler Johnson and Corey Perry also scored for Chicago. Nick Foligno had three assists, and Petr Mrazek made 30 saves.
Anthony Cirelli, Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos scored for the Lightning, who lost in regulation for the first time in seven home games this season (4-1-2). Jonas Johansson made 24 saves.
“Listen, we had the momentum in this game clearly for the first 10-12 minutes, whatever it was,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “We gave the momentum back with our self-inflicted errors, plain and simple. Turnovers, lack of execution, and we just gave them freebies. It’s tough to win if you’re going to continue to do that.”
The Lightning controlled play for most of the first period, yet the Blackhawks led 4-2 at the break.
Cirelli’s one-timer from the slot on the power play at 3:20 put Tampa Bay ahead 1-0. Bedard tied it at 4:42, converting a pass from Philipp Kurashev.
“He created the whole first goal,” Chicago coach Luke Richardson said. “He was on the defenseman hard, and he has a good stick, good stick skills. He’s not in there slashing; he’s lifting sticks and disrupting things. Good things happen when you play hard in the right way.”
Bedard, the top pick in the 2023 draft, has seven goals and 11 points in his first 12 NHL games.
“He’s new to the league; he’s been here for a dozen games,” Richardson said. “He’s starting to really figure it out, use his skills to the best of his ability. It paid off for him, and for us, tonight.”
Kucherov, who entered the game with an NHL-leading 22 points, put the Lightning back in front at 12:31. But the Blackhawks closed the period with three goals in 3:07. Korchinski tied it at 16:43 with his first NHL goal, Bedard stole the puck from Kucherov and set up Johnson’s score at 17:38, then he got credit for his second goal of the night and seventh of the season at 19:52 when a rebound of his shot hit Cirelli and slid past Johansson.
Perry tipped in Bedard’s shot on a power play 2:12 into the second period for a 5-2 lead. He had a couple of wide-open chances for a hat trick but couldn’t get another puck past Johansson.
“You play and you always want to score,” Bedard said. “But I wasn’t trying to force anything. If it had come, it would have been great.”
Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev said he and his teammates were to blame for Bedard’s big night.
“He’s a good player, don’t get me wrong, but we just gave it to him,” Sergachev said. “It’s totally on us.”
Stamkos scored with 2:10 remaining in regulation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Dan Wetzel
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Dan Wetzel
ESPN
- Dan Wetzel is a senior writer focused on investigative reporting, news analysis and feature storytelling.
Sherrone Moore was in custody in the Washtenaw (Michigan) County Jail on Wednesday night as a suspect in an alleged assault, just hours after he was fired as Michigan’s football coach for having what the school said was an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”
Moore was initially detained by police in Saline, Michigan, on Wednesday and turned over to authorities in Pittsfield Township “for investigation into potential charges.”
Pittsfield police released a statement Wednesday night saying they responded at 4:10 p.m. to the 3000 block of Ann Arbor Saline Road “for the purposes of investigating an alleged assault. … A suspect in this case was taken into custody. This incident does not appear to be random in nature, and there appears to be no ongoing threat to the community.
“The suspect was lodged at the Washtenaw County Jail pending review of charges by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor,” the statement continued. “At this time, the investigation is ongoing. Given the nature of the allegations, the need to maintain the integrity of the investigation, and its current status at this time, we are prohibited from releasing additional details.”
Pittsfield police did not name the suspect in its statement.
Earlier, Saline police stated they “assisted in locating and detaining former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore. Mr. Moore was turned over to the Pittsfield Township Police Department for investigation into potential charges.”
Michigan fired Moore on Wednesday following an investigation into his conduct with a staff member.
“U-M head football coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with cause, effective immediately,” the school said in a statement. “Following a University investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”
Moore, 39, spent two seasons as Michigan’s coach, after serving as the team’s offensive coordinator.
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves signed veteran outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to a two-year deal Wednesday that includes a club option for 2028.
The 35-year-old Yastrzemski hit .233 with 17 home runs and 46 RBIs in 146 games last year between San Francisco and Kansas City.
Yastrzemski, who spent the first six-plus seasons of his career with the Giants before being sent to the Royals in July, will make $9 million in 2026 and $10 million in 2027. Atlanta holds a club option for 2028. Yastrzemski will make $7 million if the Braves pick up the option. He will receive a $4 million buyout if they do not.
The versatile Yastrzemski, the grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, can play all three outfield positions and is a career .238 hitter. His best season came in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign, when he batted .297 with 10 homers in 54 games and finished in the top 10 in NL MVP voting.
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Jorge Castillo
ORLANDO, Fla. — The New York Yankees made their first selection in a Rule 5 draft since 2011 on Wednesday, taking right-hander Cade Winquest from the St. Louis Cardinals.
Winquest was one of 13 players — and 12 right-handed pitchers — chosen in the major league portion of the draft.
The Rockies took RJ Petit, a 6-foot-8 reliever, with the first pick from the Detroit Tigers. Petit, 26, had a 2.44 ERA in 45 relief appearances and two starts between Double A and Triple A last season. The Minnesota Twins chose the only position player, selecting catcher Daniel Susac from the Athletics.
Clubs pay $100,000 to select a player and must keep him on the active major league roster for the entire following season unless he lands on the injured list. Players taken off the roster must be offered back to the former club for $50,000.
The 25-year-old Winquest recorded a 4.58 ERA with a 48% groundball rate in 106 innings across 25 games, including 23 starts, between Single A and Double A last season. He features a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and touches 98 mph plus a curveball, cutter and sweeper. He is expected to compete for a spot in the Yankees’ bullpen next season.
Right-hander Brad Meyers was the last player the Yankees had chosen in a Rule 5 draft. He suffered a right shoulder injury in spring training and was on the injured list for the entire 2012 season before he was offered back to the Washington Nationals. He never appeared in a major league game.
Also picked were right-hander Jedixson Paez (Colorado from Boston), right-hander Griff McGarry (Washington from Philadelphia), catcher Carter Baumler (Pittsburgh from Baltimore), right-hander Ryan Watson (Athletics from San Francisco), right-hander Matthew Pushard (St. Louis from Miami), right-hander Roddery Munoz (Houston from Cincinnati), right-hander Peyton Pallette (Cleveland from Chicago White Sox), right-hander Spencer Miles (Toronto from San Francisco), right-hander Zach McCambley (Philadelphia from Miami) and right-hander Alexander Alberto (White Sox from Tampa Bay).
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