Connor Bedard shows he has a Brad Marchand side to his game against the Boston Bruins

Even though the Chicago Blackhawks lost 4-3 in OT to the Boston Bruins last night at TD Garden, forward Connor Bedard showed a flash of former Bruins captain Brad Marchand in his own game.

Not only did Bedard bait top Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy into taking a costly penalty, but he also was chirping at him the entire time afterward.

That's exactly the kind of playing style that made former Bruins captain Brad Marchand such an effective pest throughout his career.

It also shows that Bedard can stand up for himself and prove that he's more effective than just providing offense, especially if he can bait the opposition's top players into taking penalties.

Bedard already has his 1st goal of the new year as he one-timed a pass from new Blackhawks forward Andre Burakovsky right past goaltender Joonas Korpisalo.

The goal tied the game after the Bruins had gotten off to a 1-0 lead.

This is going to be a critical year for Bedard and the Blackhawks, who still haven't made the playoffs since 2020. Bedard is easily the face of the franchise after being taken with the 1st overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft after Chicago won the Draft Lottery.

He's also in the final year of his contract, and some are worried he could look to sign elsewhere if the Blackhawks prove unable to start winning soon.