The Chicago Blackhawks are preparing to take on Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night. The Blackhawks did rise in ClutchPoints' latest NHL Power Rankings, but they remain near the bottom of the league at this time. A win over Edmonton would be huge, but unfortunately, they will be without star forward Connor Bedard.
Bedard has been ruled out of Monday's matchup, as reported by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. “Connor Bedard will not play vs EDM tonight. He has the flu,” Friedman reported on social media before the game.
Bedard is an integral part to any success the Blackhawks have. This season, the former No. 1 pick has transformed into one of the league's best players. Entering play Monday, the Blackhawks star has 19 goals and 46 points in 33 games.
Bedard was once a candidate for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. However, he missed nearly a month due to injury, which has left him well behind the eight ball. Still, the Blackhawks star remains an extremely talented player who can make Chicago better when he's on the ice.
The Blackhawks are currently 6th in the Central Division with a record of 19-19-7. Despite being without Bedard for a month, Chicago remains in contention for a Wild Card spot. They only trail the Los Angeles Kings by three points at this time. However, they do have to contend with three other non-playoff teams ahead of them in the race.
Hopefully, Bedard's flu isn't anything serious. Having him out for this game stings either way, but hopefully his absence lasts this one game. Let's see how Chicago responds to not having its star in the lineup.
