Bedard dejected by Blackhawks' slump: 'A lot of games to lose'

Connor Bedard admitted Monday that nine losses in the past 11 games is taking its toll.

"It's really frustrating," Bedard told reporters following the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 loss to the Calgary Flames.

"We're competitive athletes and we take a lot of pride in our games, our group as a team, and our fan base. It's been hard," he continued. "It's been a lot of games to lose. It weighs on you. We're just trying to find a way of it, just trying to get better every day. But it's hard."

Chicago's cold spell comes on the heels of a three-game win streak in mid-December that marked only the second time this season the Blackhawks strung together consecutive victories.

The Blackhawks are 32nd in the NHL after finishing 31st last year and 30th in 2022-23. The club isn't taking the strides many expected them to take after drafting Bedard, whose impressive production isn't enough to compensate for a lack of support around him.

Bedard scored a power-play goal Monday night to notch his 100th career point in his 112th NHL game. He became only the 24th teenager in league history to hit the century mark and required the fewest games to reach the benchmark since Sidney Crosby (80 games) in 2005-06.

Bedard leads the Blackhawks this season with 39 points.