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Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard continues torrid World Championship scoring pace

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Colin Gallant | Last updated 5/13/24

For the second straight game, it was the Connor Bedard show for Team Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Championships. The Chicago Blackhawks phenom followed up his two-goal performance against Great Britain by potting another two — and adding an assist — in Sunday’s 5-1 win over Denmark.

Bedard didn’t take long making his presence felt in tournament game No. 2, scoring his country’s opening goal just over two minutes into the game on a seeing-eye shot that went through traffic. The 18-year-old would score his second tally early in the third period, taking a nice feed from Utah’s Dylan Guenther to make it 3-1.

The Calder Trophy finalist also added an assist, giving him five points through just two games. Dylan Cozens, Dawson Mercer and Pierre-Luc Dubois also scored for Canada, while Stanley Cup champion Jordan Binnington made 19 saves.

“I liked our third period a lot,” Canada head coach Andre Tourigny said afterwards, per The Canadian Press. “We won a lot of puck battles and we were really aggressive on the forecheck. Our second period was not as good. We were in the box too often and we lost too many battles, but it was good for our team to go through that because it shows that the teams here are going to work hard against us. Tonight was an opportunity to grow, and we showed that growth in the third period.”

Connor Bedard looks terrific at 1st senior World Championship

2 goals and 3 points for Connor Bedard in Canada's 5-1 win over Denmark #MensWorlds @hockeycanada @dkishockey

Catch all the game highlights pic.twitter.com/UHTIuNU7mo

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 13, 2024

Although John Tavares was named captain after his Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated in the first-round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs — again losing in a Game 7 to the Boston Bruins — it’s Bedard leading the way in the early going for Canada.

The presumed NHL rookie of the year hasn’t looked at all out of place in his first senior tournament, instead looking like one of the best players on the ice. Tavares did record an assist in his first game of the tournament, though.

“It was great to get my first game under my belt,” explained the veteran, per CP. “I love the blend of elements we have on this team. We have a lot of skill, but we also have grit and work ethic. There are a lot of areas we can excel whether it is with our speed or our size, and we have a great mix of veterans and youth. We still have some areas where we can grow, but I think this is a very deep and well-rounded team.”

With two wins under their belt, the championship defense is off to a great start for the Canadians. They’ll next play Austria in group play on Tuesday. Christian Wejse scored the only goal for Denmark in the contest.

The way things are going, it’s looking like Bedard is going to be a critical part of this roster as Canada goes for back-to-back IIHF World Championship gold medals in 2024.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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