CHICAGO (AP) \u2014 Connor Bedard joined the Chicago Blackhawks for part of Tuesday’s practice, stepping up his rehab in his return from a right shoulder injury.<\/p>\n
Bedard got hurt on a draw with 0.8 seconds left in a\u00a03-2 loss<\/a>\u00a0at St. Louis on Dec. 12. He ranked among the NHL leaders with 19 goals and 25 assists in 31 games at the time of the injury.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel really good,\u201d Bedard said. \u201cObviously getting to get out with the guys a little bit today and kind of just keep ramping up. It feels really good though.\u201d<\/p>\n The 20-year-old center was ruled out for Wednesday night’s game against the Blues, but coach Jeff Blashill left open the possibility of a return this weekend. The Blackhawks host Washington on Friday and visit Nashville on Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s great to have him back out there, kind of involved in some of the team drills,\u201d Blashill said. \u201cThose were kind of the flow-type drills, but we’ll keep progressing. It was great to see him, great to see the jump that he has.\u201d<\/p>\n Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar also was on the ice before practice. Nazar was placed on injured reserve last weekend after\u00a0he was hit in the face by a puck<\/a>\u00a0during a 6-4 loss at Ottawa on Dec. 20.<\/p>\n \u201cGood for Frankie to be skating,\u201d Blashill said. \u201cHe’s further away than Connor, but it’s a good step in the right direction for sure. He started with eating solid food and moved towards this, so that’s good.\u201d<\/p>\n Chicago has won three in a row to improve to 4-6-1 since Bedard’s injury. Asked about the timeline for playing in a game again, Bedard was noncommittal.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully pretty soon I can get back out there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n