Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill was frustrated with certain players' compete level during Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers.
"There was a lot of guys that competed their asses off, and I think there were a few guys that played at the end of their stick, and we can't have that," Blashill told reporters postgame, including The Athletic's Mark Lazerus.
However, captain Connor Bedard wasn't among those called out and instead earned high praise for his effort.
"I thought he competed like crazy," Blashill said of Bedard. "For not every guy to follow that suit is not acceptable. I thought a lot of guys did, but you've got to have 20 going."
Bedard notched a pair of assists and a plus-1 rating in 22:25 of ice time, the most among the Blackhawks' forwards. The 21-year-old is up to a team-leading 12 points in 10 contests this season after missing the start of the campaign while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
Chicago signed Bedard to a five-year, $75-million contract in July before naming him captain in September.
Wednesday's loss marked the Blackhawks' sixth in the last seven games, leaving them 31st in the NHL standings.
