Blackhawks Coach Explains Reaction to Controversial No-Call on Connor Bedard
Chicago Blackhawks interim head coach Anders Sorensen defended his decision against arguing a no-call on forward Connor Bedard on Wednesday's game against the New Jersey Devils.
Sorensen, instead of calling out the referees on the ice, decided to remain composed behind the bench as the play unfolded and eventually led to a game-changing, goal-scoring power play for the Devils.
Midway through the second period, Bedard got tangled up with Devils defenseman Simon Nemec. No penalty was called despite contact that left Bedard tangled and vulnerable.
Landon Slaggert stepped in to defend his teammate and was given a roughing penalty — the only infraction on the sequence.
The Devils scored on the ensuing power play to make it 4–2, and the Blackhawks never recovered in what became a 5–3 loss.
When asked postgame why he didn’t react more vocally, Sorensen offered a blunt explanation.
“I just don’t know what to gain out of it,” Sorensen said. “They’ve made their call; they’re probably not going to change it.
"You can try to talk to them in TV timeouts to get an explanation that way instead. Coming across yelling is probably not going to help the situation, right? Try to build a relationship and talk to them—I think that will go a longer way down the road.”
Even the goal scored by the Devils during that man-advantage situation also came with its own controversy.
The NHL rectified the scoring on the play, giving the tally to Dawson Mercer after the league assigned the goal to Timo Meier on the ice.
Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard (98) and New Jersey Devils left wing Erik Haula (56) go for the puck.
David Banks-Imagn Images
Although the Hawks tied the game earlier in the second period, Ryan Donato’s goal was overturned for a high stick, bringing the score back to 3-2 in favor of the Devils.
Frank Nazar cut the deficit to one with under three minutes left, making it 4-3, but the Devils sealed it with an empty-netter scored by Stefan Noesen just 13 seconds from the final horn.
Chicago remains second-to-last in the NHL standings with 51 points, a 21-42-9 record, and 13.5% odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft, according to Tankathon.
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