Connor Bedard's trip home ends in frustration as Chicago Blackhawks lose to the Canucks

The Chicago Blackhawks closed out their four-game road trip with a 6-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night, finishing the trip 0-3-1. With the loss, the Blackhawks fall to 20-38-9 on the season.

Wyatt Kaiser and Alex Vlasic scored for the Blackhawks while goaltender Arvid Soderblom stopped nine of 15 shots.

Vancouver also sweeps the season series against Chicago 3-0 and has won 10 straight games against the Blackhawks.

Canucks strike first.

Quinn Hughes got the goal-scoring started in the first period as he was left wide open, cut to the net, and beat Arvid Soderblom glove side to make it 1-0 Vancouver. Thirty-five seconds later, Tyler Myers scored a similar goal from the top of the left faceoff circle to make it 2-0 Canucks.

The Canucks headed to the first intermission with a two-goal cushion to close out the first period.

Blackhawks push back in the second period.

With 11:52 to go in the 2nd period, Conor Garland made it 3-0 Canucks, zipping through the Blackhawks defense and scoring on the backhand.

Alex Vlasic managed to get the Hawks on the board on a screened shot to cut the Canucks' lead to two for his fourth goal of the season.

This seemed to give the Blackhawks a little momentum heading into the final frame down two as they headed into the second intermission after forty minutes of play.

Canucks heat it up.

Elias Pettersson scored 4:00 in the third period to make it 4-1 Canucks with a wrist shot off the post and off the back bar. Play was continued, and Nils Hoglander scored six seconds later. The officials reviewed Petterson's shot and confirmed it was a goal.

Wyatt Kaiser cut the lead back to two with a wrist shot from the left circle far side past the glove of Arturs Silovs to cut it to a two-goal game again. Defensemen Artyom Levshunov picked up his first NHL point on Kaiser's goal.

Nils Aman picked up his first goal of the season on a bang-bang passing play to make it 5-2 Canucks. Eight seconds later, Pius Suter, former Chicago Blackhawk, made it 6-2 Canucks for the final.

Bedard's tough night in Vancouver.

Connor Bedard's return to his hometown ended in frustration as the Blackhawks fell to the Canucks. The 19-year-old was held without a point for the second straight game in Vancouver, finishing with a -2 rating, 18:36 of ice time, and two shots on goal.

He was also assessed a 10-minute game misconduct for the second straight game.

The call came after Bedard got tangled up with multiple Canucks players in a heated exchange with 2:39 left to go in the third period. Officials stepped in to break it up. Moments later, Bedard was asssessed a 10-minute game misconduct.

Bedard was livid after the call, skating down the tunnel and throwing his helmet.

3 Key Takeaways from the Game:

1. Artyom Levshunov's Performance: Artyom Levshunov, the 2024 second overall pick, recorded his first NHL point with an assist on Wyatt Kaiser's goal. Despite finishing with a -2 plus/minus, Levshunov logged 22:39 of ice time, registered two shots on goal, blocked four shots, and looked great on the power play.

2. Same Team Since Game 1: As much as Blackhawks fans criticized Seth Jones' performance when he was on the team, he was right about the Blackhawks. In Chicago's 2-1 loss to Utah Hockey Club on Feb. 25, Jones expressed his frustrations in his postgame interview. "We've been the same team since game one," he said. "It's pretty evident out there. We haven't made any strides to be a better, more simple hockey team, and it shows." Since that, the Blackhawks continue to show the same patterns, struggling to find consistency and improvement.

3. Soft Defensive Play: The Blackhawks defense struggled throughout the game, allowing the Canucks to get high-quality scoring chances and pressure in the offensive zone. Goaltender Arvid Soderblom had a rough night, allowing six goals on 15 shots and finishing with 9 saves.

What's Next: The Blackhawks return home to take on the Seattle Kraken Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. CST. This will be six out of seven games played at home for the Blackhawks during the final stretch of March.