Connor Bedard vs Brock Faber Stats: Looking at two Calder Trophy Contenders’ performances in Wild-Blackhawks game

Calder Trophy candidates Connor Bedard and Brock Faber squared off on Sunday as the Minnesota Wild defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-0. The head-to-head matchup provided an opportunity to evaluate both rising stars' Calder Trophy candidacy.

Overall, Bedard was silent today while Faber played a key role in his team’s success in the divisional tilt. While Bedard generated some offensive zone chances, the Hawks were ultimately shoutout. For his part, Faber made it onto the scoresheet, notching an assist on Kirill Kaprizov’s second goal of the game at 8:10 of the third period.

The Wild dictated the game’s pace throughout. After the game, Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson pointed out (via CBS News):

"They spent way too much time in our zone. Their good players, when they had the puck, were really good. A couple times, we kicked it around (on offense) and once they got it, it was like a dog chasing its tail."

The sentiment echoed the Wild’s ability to shut down the 18-year-old first-overall pick. The Wild limited Bedard to a single shot on goal. Bedard played 18:24 minutes, down from his yearlong average of 19:47. In contrast, 21-year-old Faber got three shots on goal while playing 24:03 minutes. His assist took his point total to 43 this season, good for third in the league. Bedard remains at 59 points and leads the rookies.

Bedard, Faber, and New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes look to become the top-three finalists for this year’s Calder. Based on today’s performance, Faber might just have an edge over Bedard. But it will be hard for Faber to overcome Bedard’s offensive production, which has played a key role in the Blackhawks’ rebuild.

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Connor Bedard: Top Choice for Calder

Connor Bedard’s consistency this season has pegged him as the top choice for the Calder. Mike G. Morreale, senior writer at NHL.com, offered an insight into Bedard’s first year in the league.

"Connor Bedard can only do so much, but the fact that the 18-year-old center has barely missed a beat despite missing over a month of playing time because of a fractured jaw is impressive," Morreale wrote in March.

Although other players closed the gap on Bedard in his absence (such as Faber), their efforts haven’t been enough to sway voters their way. But if you ask Wild GM Bill Guerin about the Calder race, he’ll point out just how valuable Faber has become to the Wild.

"With [Jared Spurgeon] being out, we’ve had to rely on him, he’s stepped up to the plate, and like I said, [Faber’s] got the ‘it factor,’" he said.

The ‘it’ factor may be enough to lure some voters to pick Faber over Bedard. With about half a dozen games left in the season, both Bedard and Faber will get their final chances to impress voters. At this point in the season, it seems the Calder is Connor Bedard’s to lose.