Tuesday’s 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins came after the visiting Chicago Blackhawks overcame a two-goal deficit thanks to a goal from Jason Dickinson with 4:31 remaining in regulation.
Centers Connor Bedard and Sidney Crosby were the focus of attention.
In the first game of his 19th season, Crosby, a future Hall of Famer who has led the Penguins to three Stanley Cup victories, scored. Bedard, the No. 1 overall choice in the 2023 NHL Draft and a player dubbed the newest generational talent had an assist for Chicago.
For the Blackhawks, Corey Perry had two assists, and Ryan Donato, Cole Guttman, and Nick Foligno each scored a goal.
Petr Mrazek, a goalie for Chicago, made 38 stops.
Bryan Rust also scored for the Penguins, joining Crosby.
Tristan Jarry, a goalie for Pittsburgh, made 32 stops.
In the first, Kris Letang fired a pass from the right-wing boards adjacent to the right circle’s bottom in the direction of the slot. At the 7:04 mark of the game, Rust angled toward the near post and tapped the puck under Mrazek’s pads to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead.
Crosby upped the Penguins’ lead to 2-0 at 11:56 of the second period. After receiving a feed from Jake Guentzel, he slipped the ball under Mrazek’s extended stick and between defenseman Alex Vlasic’s skates.
The Blackhawks lost the challenge despite thinking Marcus Pettersson, who provided the secondary assist, was offside.
At 15:37 in the second, Donato scored his first goal for Chicago, bringing the score to 2-1. He caught a rebound of a Vlasic effort at the top of the crease and backhanded it past Jarry. Bedard received the extra help.
Guttman tied the score at 10:05 of the third. When Seth Jones ‘ pass reached him, Guttman was near the right hash markers and outplayed Jarry’s glove side.
With 1:27 remaining, Foligno added an empty-net goal to make it 3-2 after Dickinson made a goal from the right dot while falling.
