Connor Bedard comes clean on personally targeting matchup against Sidney Crosby and Pens as his first game from injury

Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick for the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2023 draft, made a surprising return to the lineup during Thursday's matchup against his idol, Sidney Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins.

Bedard played for the first time in six weeks after fracturing his jaw following a hit from the New Jersey Devils' Brendan Smith on Jan. 5.

He notched up an assist in the game but his night was spoiled as a pair of goals from Sidney Crosby propelled the Penguins to a convincing 4-1 win at United Center.

In a post-game interview, Bedard cleared the air on personally targeting a return against Crosby and the Penguins.

Bedard stated that he had hoped to return to the lineup before this game, but he recognized the importance of being safe and following the advice of the medical staff.

"I mean, like personally targeting, probably earlier, but obviously, you gotta be safe and smart, and you know, we got good people working; trust them, they told me I was ready to go today. so I was excited.

Connor Bedard added:

"Yeah, I think overall it's a positive thing because, you know, I've been skating for whatever four weeks now and, you know, I feel confident coming in because of that, but also because you kind of feel normal and it's like you're on the sidelines. So that sucks, but, I mean, I was fortunate to be able to skate."

With one more point on the tally, Connor Bedard remains the leading scorer for the Hawks this season. The 18-year-old rookie has notched up 34 points through 15 goals and 19 assists.

Sidney Crosby and Pittsburgh Penguins spoil Connor Bedard's return

On Thursday, the Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins at the United Center. The Pens beat the home side 4-1 and ended their four-game losing streak.

Sidney Crosby accumulated two goals, while Bryan Rust and Reilly Smith were the other scorers in the Pens' win. Meanwhile, Philipp Kurashev was the lone scorer for the Blackhawks, scoring on Connor Bedard's crisp assist in the second period.

The Blackhawks have now lost eight consecutive games and will look to bounce back against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.