The Golden Knights will get a glimpse at the NHL’s future Saturday while they continue to try to dominate the present.
The Knights will face the Chicago Blackhawks and 2023 No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard at United Center. The 18-year-old is entering the league with immense pressure to turn around a team that won three Stanley Cups in six years from 2010-15 before falling into a rebuild.
The Knights, on the other hand, want to echo the Blackhawks of the past. They’re the third reigning champion ever to start a season 5-0 behind the 1985-86 Edmonton Oilers and the 1920-21 Ottawa Senators. The Knights can be the 27th team ever to begin 6-0, as well as the first defending Cup winner.
“Obviously, it’s always fun to be part of history,” right wing Jonathan Marchessault said. “I think we’re going to be ready.”
It’s hard to articulate the expectations Bedard is facing at a young age.
He’s drawn comparisons to previous top picks like five-time scoring champion Connor McDavid and three-time Cup winner Sidney Crosby. His talent is incredible. But, on a Chicago team that finished tied for the second-fewest points in the NHL last season, he’s still finding his footing.
Bedard has one goal and two assists his first five games, to go with a Blackhawks-leading 20 shots. The atmosphere should be incredible Saturday for Chicago’s home opener. It’ll be his first introduction to the fans he’ll be playing in front of for years to come.
“Boy, he’s a fun guy to watch,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It looks like he loves the game out there. He looks like a good teammate, too. For a young guy coming into the league with this much notoriety, it looks like he’s deferring to his teammates a lot. Just seems like he’s a great kid. Raised the right way and plays a pretty impressive game.”
The Knights, for their part, hope to just keep piling up the points.
Their 5-0 start is the best in team history. They’ve done it through depth, as their 14 goal scorers through five games is tied for the most in the NHL with Carolina. Their 20 skaters with at least one point lead the league.
Another win would continue a remarkable run for the Knights. Dating back to the All-Star break last season, they’re 27-4-5 in the regular season with a plus-43 goal differential. The only club with a better points percentage over that span is the Boston Bruins.
“It’s not always one way,” Cassidy said. “It’s not just, well, Jack (Eichel) or (Mark Stone) are going over the boards and are going to get us a power-play goal. It’s a lot of different ways. It’s saves. It’s defending. It’s our fourth line. Different every night, I think, which is why probably why that record is what it is, because we’re not relying on one thing.”
The Knights will make two changes as they seek to keep their winning ways going.
Cassidy said 22-year-old defenseman Kaedan Korczak will replace veteran Ben Hutton on the blue line. Goaltender Adin Hill will also make his fourth start after Logan Thompson got the win last time out against Winnipeg.
Hill, who signed a two-year, $4.9 million extension this summer, is 3-0-0 with a .951 save percentage so far. Marchessault said Hill and Thompson’s strong play is the main reason the Knights have started 5-0.
Another win would make history. The Knights believe they have the team to do it. They intend to keep matching records until they become the third NHL team in the salary-cap era to repeat as champions.
“It’s not easy to win another Cup, and you just never know when it’s going to happen the next time,” left wing Ivan Barbashev said. “The guys are dialed in and just ready to go back-to-back.”
Knights at Blackhawks (5 p.m.)
TV: KMCC-34/KnightTime+
Radio: KKGK (98.9 FM, 1340 AM)
Line: Knights -230; total 6
Contact Ben Gotz at [email protected]. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.
