Chicago’s star newcomer by Connor Bedard, 18, an unprecedented media storm is swirling around. The child prodigy’s performances are watched in the rink with a magnifying glass, and the generational talent has not disappointed expectations. The first point of his career was scored on Wednesday morning and the first goal on Thursday morning.
– I have never come across such a haipi at the age of 18. Not even when Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby entered the league. The going wasn’t that hard. All the media are constantly there and some follow everywhere. We are talking about whether the boy will score 40, 50 or maybe even 60 goals, ‘s hockey expert Ismo Lehkonen give a laugh.
When talking about the young man’s grip on the ice, Lehkonen reminds us to be calm.
– He will be a really good player. He has survived his first matches well, but there is work to be done in terms of overall playing. He has to hang on a little in the hope of points and leave some situations unfinished.
Lehkonen believes that the constant media grind may at some point show itself as fatigue in a young player.
– He will certainly never get enough of the game, but he will get bored with everything else, that’s for sure.
Who surprised?
The biggest surprise of the first two rounds was undoubtedly Vancouver, who bluntly crushed champion candidate Edmonton 8-1 in their home arena.
– Who among us would have thought that Vancouver would beat Edmonton 8-1 in their home opener, Lehkonen marvels.
Vancouver is one of those teams that few expect much from. The club has experienced strong turbulence for years and last summer was no exception. Players, club managers and coaches have come and gone in recent years.
– If any team needed a good start to their season, it was Vancouver. They have had credibility problems, which can be seen in how some of the players by Elias Pettersson the management seems to blink every now and then, wondering if the grass is greener elsewhere. Now you have to know how to take advantage of the positive start.
Who flopped?
Ismo Lehkonen was disappointed in Wednesday’s round, primarily in Pittsburgh. In the next couple of years, the veteran team will take its last waltzes, but for this season, the steps did not hit the rhythm at the beginning. Chicago took the points from Pittsburgh with a score of 4–2 after already being down 0–2.
– If the head coach can’t by Mike Sullivan playing to beat a team of Chicago’s level at home, so yes it raises big question marks for the whole season. They cannot afford to leave such points on the table, Lehkonen scolds.
Lehkonen expects a quick attitude movement from Pittsburgh when the season continues. Sidney Crosby, Yevgeny Malkin and Kris Letang’s the hard core formed is still of high quality, but not in the shock of its youthful years.
– The Penguins are more of a diesel team. They can’t afford to give it a terrible head start. At the end of the regular season, they should be in such a situation that they can finish skiing. If they have to play with the screw tight all spring, they won’t make it to the end in the playoffs.
Lehkonen trusts Crosby’s leadership.
– There is a lot of talk about how he keeps his standards high both on and off the ice. This thing needs to be done quickly, because the competition in the Eastern Conference is really tough.
Goal of the week?
Goal of the week goes to Montreal Jesse Ylönen to names. Ylönen, who operates in the Canadiens’ four chain, succeeded in the first game of the season as a guest of Toronto. Ylönen, who made the 5-3 hit, was in the winning goal until the second to last minute of the match.
– It was an insanely great goal, from the knuckle up nicely, Lehkonen glows.
Ylönen already played 37 games in the NHL last season and did well in the training season, but the playing spot has not been set in stone yet.
– Great thing for a guy who is fighting for his life for a place in the NHL. He has been up and down all the time last year as well. Then we still think that the goal will come when young Montreal is playing in Toronto against the local star team. Hard paint for a hard place.
– Let’s hope that the boy will make some appearances even then thinking that he could be a commodity from Montreal.
What next?
As the season progresses, Lehkonen will continue to follow the early favorites with a close eye. For example, Toronto or Edmonton, which totally collapsed in Vancouver, did not really convince in their opening matches. The unpredictability of the NHL can never be forgotten.
On the other hand, among the top seeded teams, Vegas, Carolina and Colorado won their first games.
– Carolina won’t have an easy time in the East. Their ways of playing are known and they will surely have to pay a heavy price. Colorado gave a good sample, but even there the chains are still in the construction phase. In that case, some of the top teams haven’t even started. Toronto and Edmonton were supposed to have an okay style of play, it didn’t seem like it, concludes Lehkonen.