Connor Bedard's junior career ended in disappointing fashion as his Regina Pats lost 4-1 in Game 7 to the Saskatoon Blades in the first round of the WHL playoffs.
The third-seeded Blades finished 29 points ahead of the sixth-seeded Pats in the regular season, but Bedard's heroics had forced a winner-take-all final game. But the Blades held the WHL's top scorer to just one assist in the finale to clinch the series.
Bedard, the projected top draft pick in the upcoming NHL Draft, finished the series with 11 goals and 20 points in seven games, after posting an otherworldly 71 goals and 143 points in 57 regular season games.
Spencer Shugrue scored the winner for the Blades, burying the goal with 14 seconds remaining in the second period. Oilers prospect Jake Chiasson added a second goal midway through the third to add some insurance. Stanislav Svozil cut the lead to 2-1 with a goal for Regina on a rebound from a Bedard shot with seven minutes remaining but that was as close as the Pats would get.
Vaughn Watterodt and Trevor Wong extend the Blades' lead with two quick goals with just over two minutes remaining in the game.
Bedard will now turn his focus to the upcoming draft, with the lottery to determine the order of selections scheduled for May 8 on Sportsnet and SN NOW. It's unclear for now if Bedard will compete for Canada at the men's world hockey championships, which begins May 12 in Finland and Latvia.
BEDARD’S PLAYOFF TOTALS: 7 GP, 11 G, 9 A, 20 Pts.
BEDARD’S REGULAR SEASON TOTALS: 57 GP, 71 G, 72 A, 143 Pts.
PATS’ RECORD: Saskatoon defeats Regina 4-3 in the best-of-seven series.
UP NEXT: The 2023 NHL Draft Lottery on May 8, the 2023 men's world hockey championships from May 12-28, and the 2023 NHL Draft on June 28.
With Bedard the top-ranked prospect for the 2023 NHL Draft, here's a look at the current lottery odds. There will be two lottery draws where the top two picks are up for grabs.
The percentages below indicate the chances of a team winning the first lottery when the top pick is in play. However, teams can move up a maximum of 10 spots in order, so if a team outside of the bottom 11 wins the first draw, it won't get the first overall pick. Therefore, while the 32nd-ranked team has an 18.5 per cent to win the first lottery, it still has a 25.5 per cent chance to pick first overall.
The NHL Draft Lottery will be held on May 8 and the results will be revealed live on Sportsnet and SN NOW.
* denotes a team outside of the bottom 11 that can't get the first overall pick in the lottery
• Florida's unprotected first-round pick belongs to the Montreal Canadiens
• Standings as of games ending April 10
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