Blackhawks center Connor Bedard returns from right shoulder injury

CHICAGO (AP) — Connor Bedard is back. The rest of the Chicago Blackhawks, well, that’s a day-to-day situation at the moment.

Bedard played Friday night against Washington in his first game since he hurt his right shoulder on a draw during a 3-2 loss at St. Louis on Dec. 12. But the Blackhawks were hit hard by an illness that swept through their locker room, leaving them without their top two goaltenders.

The 20-year-old Bedard recorded four shots on goal while skating for more than 17 minutes in a 5-1 loss to the Capitals. He didn’t take any faceoffs, and coach Jeff Blashill said that is the plan for the foreseeable future.

“I thought he played solid,” Blashill said. “I thought he got better as the game went along, which is probably to be expected. I think part of it is trying to feel out what’s going to hurt and what’s not. So I know he felt probably more comfortable at the end than he did at the beginning.”

Bedard ranked among the NHL leaders with 19 goals and 25 assists at the time of the injury. The Blackhawks went 5-6-1 while he was out.

The No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft got a big ovation from the United Center crowd when he was announced with the starting lineup.

“I felt fine,” Bedard said. “I think it was kind of one of those games where the puck was kind of bouncing around a little bit, tough to get a lot of crisp pucks.”

Bedard returned at an opportune time for a team that had to scramble to fill out their lineup for the matchup with the Capitals.

Goaltenders Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom, along with forward Ilya Mikheyev, defenseman Louis Crevier and forward Sam Lafferty, were scratched. Blashill missed the morning skate, but he was behind the bench for the game.

Bedard was activated from injured reserve, and defenseman Kevin Korchinski and goaltender Drew Commesso were recalled from Rockford of the American Hockey League. Commesso made 19 saves in his second career NHL start, while Dave Nozzolillo served as his emergency backup. Korchinski, the No. 7 pick in the 2022 draft, skated for almost 14 minutes in his first game with Chicago since April 15.

The Blackhawks play again on Saturday night in Nashville.

“I do not know how I am going to deal with the goalies for tomorrow,” he said. “I don’t know for sure who’s available to me yet.”

Bedard and fellow center Frank Nazar were shelved during a stretch of 10 losses in 12 games for Chicago. But the Blackhawks had won a season-high four in a row before the loss to the Capitals.

Nazar, who turns 22 on Wednesday, is skating again, but there has been no word on when he might return to the lineup. He was hit in the face by a puck during a 6-4 loss at Ottawa on Dec. 20.

Bedard also missed part of his rookie season with a broken jaw, but he played in all 82 games last year.

“No one wants to have anything happen, but it’s part of the game,” Bedard said after Friday’s morning skate. “You just got to try to take that time to get better.”

Bedard’s fast start moved him into contention for a spot on Team Canada for the Winter Olympics. But he was left off the roster when it was announced last week.

Bedard still could make the trip to Italy if he is needed as an injury replacement.

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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/NHL