Wyatt Kaiser protects Connor Bedard as tensions explode vs. Minnesota
|
Cimon Asselin
Mar 19, 2026 (9:37 PM)
|
|
Photo credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
Wyatt Kaiser stepped in fast after Connor Bedard went down, and Jeff Blashill watched it unfold as Chicago's bench came alive.
It happened behind the play. Bedard got tied up with Ryan Hartman and dropped to the ice, and that's all Kaiser needed to see.
He went straight at Hartman. No hesitation, no second look. Gloves nearly came off before the linesmen closed the gap.
That response carried weight. Chicago was leading 2-1, but the game shifted from score to accountability in a hurry.
Hartman had already been involved earlier, and he stayed in the middle of it again. He piled up penalties as the temperature climbed.
Kaiser answered with his own edge, taking roughing minors at 17:45 of the second during that same sequence.
Blashill backs the response
Blashill didn't shorten Kaiser's leash. The young defenseman kept his regular rotation on the blue line after the scrum.
That tells you everything. The coaching staff didn't just accept the reaction and they expected it.
Chicago isn't built to outmuscle teams every night. They had just 7 hits compared to Minnesota's 17 at that point.
But moments like this level the ice. You don't need to win every collision, you just need to answer the ones that matter.
Bedard had already tilted the game before getting knocked down. His goal at 11:47 of the second made it 2-0.
That's the player opponents are targeting. And now there's a visible pushback when it happens.
Minnesota kept pressing, outshooting Chicago 22-17, trying to turn it into a grind along the boards and in the crease.
Chicago didn't fold. Kaiser's reaction stabilized the bench and kept the focus tight through the rest of the period.
And inside that room, it won't be forgotten. When your top center goes down, someone has to step in.
Kaiser did. And with Blashill leaving him out there afterward, that role might stick moving forward.
Also read on Puck Reporter :
Pierre Crinon suspended 8 games after dangerous playoff hit
Pierre Crinon suspended 8 games after dangerous playoff hit