NEW YORK - All eyes were on the rookies Thursday, with Rangers prospect Brennan Othmann making his NHL debut and No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard playing his first game at Madison Square Garden.

Neither registered a point, but Othmann came away with the satisfaction of a 4-1 win over Bedard and the visiting Chicago Blackhawks.

"It’s a good present for tomorrow," said a smiling Othmann, who will turn 21 on Friday.

New York's 2021 first-round pick was recalled Wednesday to replace injured forward Tyler Pitlick and stepped right into the lineup.

He didn't look out of place at all, showing both poise and aggression in front of roughly 18,000 − including his parents, sister and grandparents, who flew in on short notice from Scarborough, Ontario.

"I'm really happy and lucky they were able to come out," he said. "Obviously, there were a couple of stressful moments every now and then. When you have the puck, you want to make the right play. But I had a lot of fun out there."

'I noticed him all night'

They say that shooters shoot, and Othmann certainly did that. He didn't hesitate when his opportunities came, showing off the quick left-handed release that helped him rack up goals as a junior player in the OHL.

He registered a game-high five shots on goal on eight attempts, despite logging just 12:26 time on ice. The closest call came in the second period, when Nick Bonino set him up right in front of the Chicago net − only for Petr Mrazek to spoil the scoring chance with a point-blank save.

Brennan Othmann: Rangers prospect braces for NHL debut

As a line, Othmann, Bonino and Jonny Brodzinski outshot the Blackhawks, 8-1, while producing a team-high five high-danger scoring chances, according to Natural Stat Trick.

"I just wanted to have fun and just play my game," Othmann said. "My game is physicality and shooting and just kind of bringing a presence on the ice. I was little bit nervous my first couple shifts, but Jonny and (Bonino) did a great job of calming me down. Everyone was great today leading up to the game, and even during the game."

That shoot-first mentality is a clear strength for Othmann, as is the creativity that showed up on a few occasions. But his staying power will be dictated by the rest of his game. He's keenly aware of that, noting, "It's the little details (in the) game that define hockey players."

Thursday was a good start, with the 6-foot, 186-pounder playing steady defense, avoiding turnovers and showing strength along the boards. He wasn't afraid to throw his body around, either, with three hits and a blocked shot.

"I noticed him all night," head coach Peter Laviolette said. "His speed and skill, his ability to create, probably at least a half a dozen attempts at the net, some good scoring chances – so, I noticed him pretty consistently. He played a good game."

Laviolette found a way to reward those efforts late.

When Blake Wheeler went into the penalty box for fighting in the third period, the coach gave Othmann an opportunity to skate on the top line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad.

"I was a little bit surprised about getting double shifted there," said a still-smiling Othmann. "I think that was just a little bit of a confidence thing for myself, just playing in my first game."

Confidence didn't seem to be an issue Thursday, but can he build on it?

If the answer is yes, Othmann will give Laviolette and team president Chris Drury a lot to think about leading up to the March 8 trade deadline.

"I think there’s a big future," center Vincent Trocheck said. "For his first game in the NHL, I thought he played awesome. I thought he was all over the ice. He was hitting, making great plays, four or five shots on net. An all-around solid performance."

Limiting Connor Bedard

On the other side, it's fair to say Bedard had the Rangers' attention.

The 18-year-old has lived up to the hype so far and entered with 33 points (15 goals and 18 assists) through 37 games, adding to the anticipation for an up-close look.

"I’ve seen highlights on social media," said another former No. 1 pick, Alexis Lafrenière, prior to the game. "It’s pretty impressive. He’s a good player. Obviously, the shot is elite. It’s fun to watch, but hopefully we can limit him tonight."

The Rangers executed that plan, holding Bedard to three shots on goal and very few quality chances.

"We did a pretty good job, for the most part," Laviolette said. "I mean, there's skill. It’s movement, its shiftiness, its skill, its ability to pass or shoot, so I thought we did a pretty good job with that."

A bounce-back performance

By shutting down Chicago's top line, the Blueshirts were able to take care of business against a team that entered with the league's second-worst points total.

The scoring began 13 minutes in with Artemi Panarin, who after announced after the game that he was declining consideration for the NHL all-star game due to the expected birth of his second child. He buried a one-timer on a well-placed feed from Lafrenière, but give Trocheck a heap of the credit for the play that created the goal.

The do-it-all center bullied Bedard off the puck for a takeaway at the Rangers' blue line to spark the rush that ended with Panarin's team-leading 24th tally.

"It was standard D-zone coverage," Trocheck said. "He was kind of roaming around the zone and he was their third guy high, and that's my responsibility. I was going at him on the point. I was a little nervous because he’s got some moves, for sure. I didn't want him to shimmy shake me, and luckily I was able to kind of keep him in front of me. Then a three-on-two rush and a great pass by Laf, great finish by Bread."

Trocheck was in the middle of the Rangers' next goal, as well, with Kreider crashing the net to finish Trocheck's rebound for his 20th of the season. The puck went in off Kreider's skate and was reviewed for a potential kicking motion, but the ruling went New York's way for a change.

The 'Hawks cut the deficit to 2-1 on Colin Blackwell's goal with 2:53 remaining in the second period, but the Blueshirts would pull away in the third.

Goals from Jacob Trouba and Jimmy Vesey sealed the win, helping the Rangers (26-10-1) earn an important bounce back after Tuesday's disappointing 6-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. They've lost two in a row just once so far this season, with a 10-1 record following a loss.

"There’s all those cliches, ‘Great teams don't lose two in a row,’ and we take pride in that," Trocheck said. "Obviously, we focus on some things after losses, like the other night. We go to the drawing boards. We watched the tape. We make some adjustments to whatever we thought we were doing wrong."

Important step for Kaapo Kakko

Thursday began with a welcomed sight for a Rangers' forward group that's been bitten by the injury bug this season.

Kaapo Kakko skated with the team for the first time since sustaining a lower-body injury on Nov. 27. He was in a red non-contact jersey, but it represented a significant step in the right direction.

It looked like it could have been much worse for the 22-year-old winger, whose left leg twisted awkwardly on the fateful play and had many fans fearing a ligament tear. The resulting injury was severe enough to land him on long-term injured reserve and force him to miss 17 games and counting, but clearly not season ending.

At this rate, it seems feasible for No. 24 to return before the end of the month. Laviolette has declined to put a timetable on it but sounded optimistic about Kakko's prognosis while noting that he's healthy enough to start traveling with the team for road games.

"The next step in his progression is to come out and start skating with us," Laviolette said following Thursday's morning skate. "He was at that point to join us, so it's great to have him out there. He looks good, he’s moving along, so that's all positive stuff."

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Postgame takeaways: Brennan Othmann bests Connor Bedard in Rangers win