Bedard Hits 30 Goals With Help From Frondell, But Blackhawks Fall 5-1 in Philly as Boisvert Makes NHL Debut

Game Summary

This one was over before it started. The Flyers scored twice in the first 2:33 — both off Chicago turnovers — and cruised to a 5-1 win Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The Blackhawks fall to 27-32-13. The silver lining: Connor Bedard scored his 30th goal of the season, becoming the third Blackhawk age 20 or younger to reach that mark, joining Jonathan Toews (34 in 2008-09) and Eric Daze (30 in 1995-96). The milestone goal was assisted by Anton Frondell, who now has a point in each of his first two NHL games.

The first goal was self-inflicted. Spencer Knight gave the puck away behind his own net just 48 seconds in, Christian Dvorak intercepted it and fed Alex Bump for an easy finish into an open cage. Less than two minutes later, Andre Burakovsky tried a backhand pass off the boards deep in the Chicago zone and Luke Glendening picked it off — his centering attempt was redirected by Sean Couturier past Knight to make it 2-0. Two turnovers, two goals, and the Hawks were chasing the rest of the night.

Denver Barkey extended the lead to 3-0 at 5:14 of the second, knocking in a rebound off a Trevor Zegras shot. Bedard got Chicago on the board at 11:11 — Frondell made a backhand pass from below the goal line that went through the crease to a charging Bedard, who one-timed it past Samuel Ersson from the right side. It was a quality goal on a night that didn't have many highlights. Noah Cates answered less than two minutes later to restore the four-goal cushion, skating in alone after taking a pass from Matvei Michkov and sliding a backhand past Knight. Dvorak made it 5-1 with 25 seconds left in the second, redirecting an Owen Tippett centering pass. The third period was scoreless.

The New-Look Roster

The Bedard milestone is the takeaway from this one, and the way it happened matters. Frondell set it up with a heads-up backhand pass from below the goal line — the kind of play that shows vision and poise in tight spaces. That's now two games and two primary assists for the No. 3 pick, both of them on goals that required a precise pass in traffic. He played 17:08 and put 4 shots on goal. He also took a hooking penalty in the third — his first NHL penalty. Two games into his career, the early returns are encouraging.

Sacha Boisvert made his NHL debut on the same night, making it two first-round Blackhawks picks in the lineup for the first time. The 18th overall selection from 2024 played 9:03 across 15 shifts — no points, one shot, and a hooking penalty of his own in the first period. It was a quiet introduction, but getting him into NHL games before the season ends was always the plan. Between Frondell and Boisvert, the Blackhawks now have five players from their last two drafts in the lineup on a nightly basis. The pipeline is arriving.

Beyond the prospect story, there isn't much to take from this game. Knight had a rough night — 37 saves on 42 shots, but the .881 save percentage is inflated by the volume after the game was already out of reach. The two early turnovers were the story, and neither one was a product of Philadelphia pressure as much as Chicago carelessness. The Flyers outshot the Hawks 42-26 and dominated the faceoff dot at 61.8%. Philly has won six of eight and is chasing a wild card spot at 82 points. The Blackhawks were outclassed.

The most alarming moment of the night had nothing to do with the score. Louis Crevier was struck in the face by the skate blade of Philadelphia's Nick Seeler and immediately left the ice for the dressing room. It was a frightening sequence — the blade caught Crevier in the mouth area — and he did not return. No update on his condition was available after the game. Crevier had logged 16:32 and picked up the secondary assist on Bedard's goal before the incident. With Grzelcyk already out for the road trip and Crevier now potentially joining him, the Blackhawks' blue line depth is being tested in a serious way.

Looking Ahead

It's a quick turnaround — Chicago plays at the New York Rangers on Friday night (6:00 p.m. CT on ESPN+) in the second half of a back-to-back. The Rangers have already been eliminated from playoff contention, so both teams are playing out the string. Grzelcyk and Mangiapane remain out. Frondell is at 2 of a possible 9 games before the first year of his entry-level contract burns, so there's still plenty of runway for him to play on this trip. After the Rangers, the road trip wraps up Sunday in New Jersey. At 27-32-13 and 67 points with 10 games to play, Chicago remains last in the Central. Bedard's 30th goal is the kind of milestone that signals where this franchise is heading — he's the youngest Blackhawk to do it since Toews, and the kid who set it up was playing in the Swedish league a week ago.