During the beginning of Friday night's Blackhawks-Devils game in New Jersey, Brendan Smith rocked Connor Bedard with a nasty hit. The defenseman appeared to shoulder the Blackhawks phenom, who left the game holding his jaw immediately after being hit.
Here's the hit that kept Bedard from returning to Friday night's game.
That ensued into a litany of fights breaking out during the game.
Philip Kurashev and Nick Foligno initially came to Bedard's rescue, pinning Smith behind the net and roughing him up. Later, Foligno fought Smith directly after a face-off, in what was one of several spats from the game.
Head coach Luke Richardson provided a brief update on Bedard after the game, saying the trainers did not initially diagnose Bedard with a concussion. More updates will follow as the Blackhawks travel back to Chicago to prepare for their game against Calgary on Sunday.
Chicago Blackhawks
"I think he obviously banged his head," Richardson said. "But I just got in there now and I hadn't heard anything other than everybody's coming home. We'll get it checked out at home."
After the game, Boris Katchouk said Smith's hit on Bedard was dirty.
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"I mean, everybody saw it. It's dirty, so. I think it was dirty," Katchouk said.
The Bedard loss is a brutal blow for the Blackhawks, who have seven players on injured reserve. Three of those players — Taylor Raddysh (groin), Tyler Johnson (foot) and Anthony Beauvillier (wrist) — were placed on IR during this five-game road trip.
