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The Chicago Blackhawks kicked off their 2023-24 NHL season in fashion, defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 on the road on Tuesday, October 11.
In the second period, the Hawks were already down by two goals. They rallied for a remarkable comeback victory thanks to a brilliant team effort and goals coming from four different players.
Meanwhile, Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL draft, made his long-awaited debut, and it couldn't have been a better way to start his career. Bedard registered his first NHL career point, thanks to a secondary assist to Ryan Donato, and became the fifth youngest active player to do so in a debut.
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The Chicago Blackhawks fans were overjoyed with the players' character and effort on the night. They flooded X, formerly Twitter, with reactions and trolled the Penguins in the process, with one fan tweeting:
"bedard owns your poverty team"
Here are some of the best reactions on X:
How did the Chicago Blackhawks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins game pan out?
The Penguins had the upper hand in the game, winning 68% of face-offs, and had 40 shots on goal, but failed to convert them into goals. At the 7:04 mark of the first period, Bryan Rust's goal coming off an assist from Kris Letang put the Pens ahead.
Coming in the second period, Sidney Crosby's goal from Jake Guentzel's assist doubled the Pens' lead. With five minutes remaining before the third period, Ryan Donato scored a rebound goal to put the Blackhawks on the board for the first time.
In the final period of the game, the Blackhawks displayed resilience and ended the game with a remarkable comeback. Cale Guttman at the 10:05 mark tied the game 2-2. Goals from Jason Dickinson and Nick Flogno in the later frame of the period prevailed the Chicago Blackhawks to their first win of the season.
Petr Mrazek blocked 38 shots and had a .950 SV% for the Blackhawks. Meanwhile, debutant Connor Bedard registered his first career assist in the contest.
