ESPN

CHICAGO -- Here's a quick look at the Chicago Blackhawks' 6-4 win over the Washington Capitals in the season opener at the United Center on Tuesday.

How it happened: If a banner-raising ceremony wasn't enough entertainment on opening night in Chicago, the Blackhawks and Capitals followed that up with an offensive display on the ice. After squandering a 3-2 lead in the third period and going down 4-3, the Blackhawks answered with three goals in the final 13 minutes. Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad tied the score off a pass from Michal Handzus at 7:55 of the third period, and Johnny Oduya put the Blackhawks ahead at 13:53. Marian Hossa added an empty-net goal in the final minute. Brandon Bollig, Patrick Kane and Brent Seabrook also scored for the Blackhawks. Mikhail Grabovski scored three goals for the Capitals. Alex Ovechkin had the other goal. The Capitals scored three times on the power play. Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford had 28 saves.

What it means: The Blackhawks became only the second team in the past six years to win on their banner-raising night. The Blackhawks' penalty kill was a strength all of last season but that unit struggled Tuesday. The Hawks didn't allow their third power-play goal of the season until the 11th game last season.

Player of the game: Oduya scored the winner and had a plus-4 rating in the win.

What's next: The Blackhawks get three days off before their second game of the season. They host the Tampa Bay Lightning at the United Center on Saturday.

Here are 10 things to know about the Chicago Blackhawks before they raise the banner Tuesday night and begin the 2013-14 NHL season:

1. The Blackhawks won't discuss a Stanley Cup repeat, but they have constantly emphasized getting off to a positive start to the season. The previous time the Blackhawks tried to defend the Cup, their season was derailed by some early woes. They aren't likely to match last season's 24-game points streak to begin the season, but they would like to do better than the 9-9-2 record they had after 20 games in the 2010-11 season. The Blackhawks do have the advantage this time around of returning nearly everyone from last season's team.

2. The Blackhawks found magic in a top line of Bryan Bickell-Jonathan Toews-Patrick Kane in the playoffs last season, and Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville will be rolling that out again to start this season. The major change that occurred since the trio last played in a real game together is that Bickell is now making about $3.4 million more than he was last season. With that money comes higher expectations, and Bickell understands that. The line only played together once in the preseason, but it looked dangerous.

3. The other Blackhawks' lines likely will be Patrick Sharp-Michal Handzus-Marian Hossa; Brandon Saad-Andrew Shaw-Jimmy Hayes; and Brandon Bollig-Marcus Kruger-Joakim Nordstrom. Ben Smith likely will rotate in on the third and fourth lines.

Just some quick notes on the lines: Sharp stood out in the preseason. Playing on the third line should take some pressure off Saad. Hayes was impressive offensively with his size and quickness at times. Bollig had a solid preseason, but he needs to be more than an enforcer to keep his spot.

4. The defensive pairings likely will be Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook; Johnny Oduya-Niklas Hjalmarsson; and Nick Leddy-Michal Rozsival. Michael Kostka and Sheldon Brookbank likely will rotate with Rozsival throughout the season. Having an eighth defenseman will allow Quenneville to sit players when they need some time off or are consistently struggling.

5. You can always hold a special place in your heart for Dave Bolland, Michael Frolik and Viktor Stalberg because they helped win last season's Stanley Cup, but they were role players and replaceable. Hayes, Nordstrom and Smith should have no trouble filling in those spots. Nordstrom is expected to replace Frolik on the penalty kill.

6. The Blackhawks didn't really answer the second-line center issue in the preseason. The plan to use Saad barely got off the ground. Brandon Pirri was the second option, but an injury set him back, and he never got a chance to show off his game. That brought Quenneville to his backup option, Handzus. Handzus was recovering from his offseason surgeries during training camp and was held out of all six preseason games. It will be interesting to see how his body holds up over 82 games, especially in such a vital role. As a side note, the Blackhawks' power play didn't look any better in the preseason, either.

7. Hossa also didn't play in any preseason games, and there has to be some concern about his health. Hossa looked great while at Notre Dame to start training camp, but he apparently aggravated his back injury sometime in that first week and has been dealing with some issues again. Hossa missed a Stanley Cup finals game due a back problem and wasn't the same player in the last three games of the season. If he's affected again by it early, it might be in the Blackhawks' best interests to sit him for an extended period to get him healthy. As of now, he said he's fine and will play in the season opener.

8. The NHL has re-aligned its conferences and is back to two divisions per conference. That means the Blackhawks are now joined in the Central Division by the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets. The Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets are now in the Eastern Conference. The new playoff format will include the top three teams from each division receiving spots and then two wild cards. The first two rounds will be within the division, but with the possibility of the final wild-card team having to cross over divisions to play.

9. Nikolai Khabibulin is back with the Blackhawks and has looked reliable enough in the preseason. If Khabibulin's age (40) catches up to him, the Blackhawks will probably turn to Antti Raanta to be Corey Crawford's backup. Raanta, who is from Finland, is getting accustomed to the smaller North American rink in AHL Rockford to start the season. Either way, Crawford will see a bulk of the workload.

10. Oddsmakers have made the Blackhawks the favorites to win the 2014 Stanley Cup. Most have them at 5-1 or 6-1. They're followed by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Blues, Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks. The Penguins were favored by most to win the Cup last season.

Here are six observations from the Chicago Blackhawks' training camp and preseason games:

1. The durability of the Blackhawks’ older players has to be a concern. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville has been very cautious with players’ injuries in the preseason. There is no reason to risk anything. Yet, the fact 34-year-old Marian Hossa and 36-year-old Michal Handzus didn’t play in a single preseason game and haven’t been 100 percent healthy in the preseason has to be somewhat alarming. Both players are getting up in age, and both are coming off a season where they suffered severe injuries. With Hossa, there’s a lot at stake for the present, but even more so for the future. Back injuries aren’t anything to mess with, and the Blackhawks are depending on Hossa for years to come. As for Handzus, his injury wouldn’t be as much of an immediate concern if Brandon Saad or Brandon Pirri had worked out at the second-line center. But with Handzus being that option now, the Blackhawks are looking for him to duplicate what he did in the playoffs.

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CHICAGO -- NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was unsure of the future of the league’s outdoor games after this season, but the Blackhawks said they’d be interested in having more games in Chicago, including one at U.S. Cellular Field.

The Blackhawks will host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Soldier Field on March 1, 2014 as part of the Coors Light NHL Stadium Series. The series will also include games at Dodger Stadium and Yankee Stadium. The NHL will also hold the Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium and the Heritage Classic at BC Place in Vancouver.

The Blackhawks previously held a home outdoor game at Wrigley Field in 2009. Soldier Field was home to a college hockey doubleheader in February.
Bettman thought six outdoor games in the 2013-14 season was the perfect number, but he didn’t know if the NHL would consider making the stadium series an annual event.

“Six [outdoor games], we don’t think it’s too many,” Bettman said at Soldier Field on Thursday. “We think it’s very responsible to our fans, but logistically it’s a huge undertaking. We’ll see how well we do with the weather, and we’ll take a deep breath when we get to mid-March and say, ‘Okay, what worked well? Is this is the right number? Should we do more? Do less?’ This will be an important and exciting year in terms of the evolution of outdoor games.”

Blackhawks president and CEO John McDonough was hopeful the NHL would have more outdoor games in Chicago and would be open to having an outdoor game at U.S. Cellular Field.

“I think we’d like to have one wherever they’d have us,” McDonough said. “I think this outdoor game concept is brilliant. Certainly, wherever they’d allow us to play, this is great. To be playing in a historic, iconic Solider Field is great. But it would be great to play everywhere.”

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CHICAGO -- Here's a quick look at the Chicago Blackhawks' 2-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings in a preseason game at the United Center on Tuesday.

How it happened: The Blackhawks' defense starred in the team's preseason opener. The Blackhawks limited the Red Wings to five shots in the first period, eight shots in the second period and six shots in the third period. Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford wasn't challenged much, but he still kept the Red Wings off the board and made 19 saves. Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp broke a scoreless tie when he tallied a goal from the right circle at 16:37 of the second period. One minute and nine seconds later, Ben Smith put the Blackhawks ahead 2-0 when he tipped in a shot from Jimmy Hayes. The Red Wings' Teemu Pulkkinen and Mitch Callahan both received game misconducts. Pulkkinen received his for boarding Blackhawks defenseman Michael Kostka in the first period. Kostka suffered an injury on the hit and did not return to the game.

What it means: Some of the Blackhawks battling for a roster spot got on the score sheet in the win. Hayes and Smith hooked up for the second goal, and Jeremy Morin set up Sharp for the first one. Blackhawks forwards Brandon Saad and Teuvo Teravainen are both learning to play center and gained some game experience Tuesday. Saad and Teravainen struggled on the faceoff in the first period, but their numbers improved as the game went on.

Player of the game: Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook had an assist, a plus-2 rating and two blocked shots.

What's next: The Blackhawks will play six preseason games before their season opener on Oct. 1. They will host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Here are some observations from the four days of the Chicago Blackhawks training camp at Notre Dame:

Brandon Saad looked more comfortable playing center as the week went along. Early in the week he often glided to the left side of the rink and was getting ahead of the play. By Sunday he was waiting for the puck and skating down the middle of the ice. He’s also looking to distribute more and had a couple impressive passes. Faceoffs will be a work in progress for him, and he has to get more repetitions in.

Duncan Keith appeared to have some aggression to get out the past few days. He went all out on Ben Smith in a fight on Saturday. He was on the verge of another fight with Jimmy Hayes on Sunday. He knocked Hayes in the face wearing his glove, and the two had to be separated. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville downplayed both incidents, but they did seem out of the ordinary.

Hayes had to put himself in a good position for a roster spot with his play over the last three days. He’s got a big frame, but he also has a lot of speed and quickness. He was often around the puck and created a number of scoring chances. He scored goals on Saturday and Sunday.

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ESPNChicago.com's Blackhawks reporter Scott Powers is counting down this season's top-50 storylines leading into this week's training camp. Here's the final installment:

10. Defensive stability
Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman has made it a priority in the past few seasons to have veteran defensemen. He's willing to gamble with young forwards, but he doesn't like to rush young defensemen. That's why one of the Blackhawks' greatest strengths this season should be its defensive depth again. The Blackhawks return all seven defensemen -- Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Johnny Oduya, Nick Leddy, Michal Rozsival and Sheldon Brookbank -- from last year's Stanley Cup team, and all of those players except Brookbank are signed through the following season as well. ESPN recently ranked the Blackhawks' defensive group No. 1 in the league.

9. Captain consistent
Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews is still 25 years old and has room to grow, but the Blackhawks wouldn't complain if he just kept doing on what he has done. He can be expected to produce 70-plus points, be among the league's leaders in faceoffs and takeways, be around a plus-20 rating, contribute on the power play and penalty kill and still be the team leader. The Blackhawks will be banking on similar numbers from Toews again this season.

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ESPNChicago.com's Blackhawks reporter Scott Powers is counting down this season's top-50 storylines leading into this week's training camp. Here's the fourth installment:

20. Getting Leddy back to form
Blackhawks defenseman Nick Leddy had a postseason to forget with a minus-8 rating in 23 games and was limited to a career-low 2:37 of ice time in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville's lack of confidence in Leddy isn't expected to carry over into this season, but it would help both sides for Leddy to have a strong start to the season. He is still just 22, but he's now entering his fourth NHL season and will be expected to be more consistent. He signed a two-year, $5.4 million deal in the offseason.

19. Keeping Shaw on the right side of the line
Andrew Shaw thrived last season in the role of agitator and third-line center for the Blackhawks. On the third line, he was reliable enough defensively, was able to set up his wingers and could chip in the occasional goal. He has also been known to mix it up with opposing players and get under their skin. His post-whistle activities have at times worked against the Blackhawks and led to unnecessary penalties. Michal Handzus had a talk with Shaw during the playoffs about utilizing that additional energy, but also being smart about it. Shaw did a better job of doing that as the playoffs progressed. It will be important again for Shaw to find the right side of that line this season.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have their team and they’re making a run at becoming a dynasty with it.

After having to dissolve a large portion of the 2010 Stanley Cup team due to salary cap restraints, Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman is doing his best to keep nearly everyone together for years to come after their latest Cup win.

The Blackhawks will now have at least 14 players, including seven forwards, six defensemen and one goaltender, from last season’s Stanley Cup roster together over the next two seasons, and that number will likely grow with Andrew Shaw and Ben Smith among the group of upcoming restricted free agents.

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Now that NHL players are officially allowed to play in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, the Chicago Blackhawks may find themselves as well represented as any team come February.

Here’s a look at the Blackhawks who could participate in the 2014 Olympics:

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As Brent Seabrook was driving home Tuesday morning after celebrating winning the Stanley Cup the night before, he took time to reflect on a goaltender who went from question mark at the start of the season to Conn Smythe contender.

"It was great to see (Crawford play so well)," Seabrook said on "The Carmen & Jurko Show" on ESPN 1000. "The media really blew (Crawford's flaws) out of proportion.

"We knew what we had in Crow. We had full confidence in Crow. He was a big reason why we had a chance to win throughout the playoffs."

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook knows precisely what fellow defenseman Nick Leddy is going through after Leddy played just four shifts and a career-low 2:37 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals on Wednesday.

It wasn't that long ago Seabrook had to deal with having his own minutes drastically reduced by Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville. Seabrook went from getting one of Quenneville's larger workloads to playing a season-low 12:03 in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Detroit Red Wings.

Seabrook eventually worked his way back into the rotation, got his minutes returned and provided the overtime game-winner in Game 7 against the Red Wings. He also came through with the game-winner to defeat the Boston Bruins in overtime in Game 4 on Wednesday.

Seabrook said Thursday it was key for Leddy to realize his chance to contribute in the Stanley Cup finals could still be out there and not to be beaten down by his reduced role.

“Yeah, Nick is a great player,” Seabrook said at the United Center on Thursday. “He brings a lot to the table. You know, that was a coaching move [in Game 4] that happened, and Nick is a great kid. You know, he works hard. He battles, and he's got to keep his head up, like you said, and just keep going.

“He's got such a great talent that anything can happen when he's out there on the ice. He's got great legs, he can shoot the puck real well, he's got a good hockey sense. I think for Nick, just in talking with him and a few of the boys, just told him to keep his head up and keep going, and I think that's the biggest thing for Leddy.”

The 22-year-old Leddy's minutes have fluctuated throughout the playoffs. He's had five games of playing 19-or-more minutes, 10 games between 14-17 minutes and six games of fewer than 13 minutes, including two under 10 minutes.

Leddy averaged 17:25 of ice time to go along with six goals and 12 assists in 48 regular-season games this season. His lowest regular-season ice time was 12:21 against the Red Wings on Jan. 27. Prior to Wednesday, his previous career-low was 6:12 which came during a regular-season game against the Red Wings on March 28, 2011 in his rookie season.

Quenneville said Thursday the game and the way the Blackhawks' five other defensemen were playing dictated Leddy's situation in Game 4.

“We went into the game, I think we were waiting to see how things played out,” Quenneville said. “Certain match-ups you're looking for in the course of a game. And we're on the road sometimes you can't get it, and sometimes the score reflects it and sometimes you get deeper in the game and you're going to wait and see, but I think that was probably the case [Wednesday] with the lead.

“[This season we] felt our depth on the back end, we've been much better than we've ever seen here. [In Game 4,] those five guys basically assumed those same kind of minutes across the board and rotated those guys evenly. Basically the first time we did that all year, and we'll see how that goes out.”

Quenneville spoke positively of Leddy on Thursday and said he would look to get Leddy more involved in Game 5 on Saturday.

“Well, Nick has got some nice assets, and I think quickness, getting up in the attack and turning pucks from defense to offense right away is one of his strengths,” Quenneville said. “And in the puck area, make sure we're killing plays and defending quickly in the puck area and eliminating players with a puck possession game by them in their zone, is what we're looking for.

“But at the same time, Nick gives us a nice presence on the back end, gives us nice balance. We didn't play him a ton [Wednesday,] obviously not much, but we still think that we'll be home [Saturday,] we look to get him back going. “

Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said he realized what Leddy was experiencing wasn't easy, but Toews admired him for his attitude and still considered him an important piece to the team.

“It's not easy to keep your confidence and then go out there and be prepared for the next shift or to go and do your job when maybe you haven't been on the ice for quite a while,” Toews said. “There's some guys that maybe get their minutes or their opportunities reduced here and there, guys like [Viktor Stalberg] and Ledds. You try to talk to those guys just to stay with it because you know when they're out there, they can really make a difference for us.

“That's a huge sacrifice that guys like that have to make for our team, and we know mentally they're going to be ready, and those sacrifices aren't going unnoticed by their teammates.”

CHICAGO -- Eventually Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews had to set the record straight. After multiple questions about how much teammate Brent Seabrook inspired his scoring touch, Toews simply wanted people to know it wasn't as dramatic as it sounded.

"Let's set it straight here," Toews said Thursday after returning from Boston where he scored a goal in the Hawks' 6-5 victory in Game 4. "It was not a joke, but he'd be sitting in the lounge or whatever at the hotel, and he just looked at me and I answered it wrong one time because he just asked me, 'What are you thinking about,' and I was like, ‘Nothing, what are you thinking about?' And he looked at me again and I realized what he wanted me to say, and I snapped back and said, 'scoring goals.' There you go. That was all it was."

As it turned out, both Toews and Seabrook scored goals on Wednesday to even the Stanley Cup finals at 2-2 with Game 5 here on Saturday. Maybe, just maybe, Toews has found his scoring touch. The goal was just his second of the playoffs and came off a simple tip-in of a Michal Rozsival shot, but it meant a lot.

"'Finally,'" Toews recalled feeling. "Just wanted a lucky one, and that was it. I think it doesn't make much sense when you say that, a puck going off your stick from the point, and you see it going in, can liberate you as a player and help you play the rest of the game with less pressure. And just go out there and make plays and let things happen instead of trying to force every single little thing, but it does."

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Stanley Cup Finals – Game 4
Blackhawks 6, Bruins 5 (OT) (Series tied, 2-2)

Brent Seabrook gave the Blackhawks a 6-5 overtime win in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals to even the series. It was the first time an NBA Finals game and a Stanley Cup finals game have both gone to OT on back-to-back nights since May 9-10, 1974. The Flyers beat the Bruins 3-2 in Game 2 followed by the Bucks beating the Celtics 102-101 in Game 6. Both games were at Boston Garden.

The offensive outburst on the ice produced some superlatives. The 11 goals were the most combined in a Stanley Cup finals game since Game 5 of 2010 Final (Blackhawks 7, Flyers 4). It was also only the 2nd game since the NHL took control of the Stanley Cup in 1927 to go to overtime with both teams scoring at least five goals (Islanders over Canucks in 1982 - Game 1).

* Brent Seabrook (CHI): GW goal at 9:51 of overtime, 2nd career playoff OT goal, both this postseason (other was in Game 7 of Conf. Semis vs Red Wings)
* From Elias: Brent Seabrook, who won Game 7 of Chicago’s second-round series against Detroit with an OT goal, is the fifth defenseman in NHL history to score two overtime goals in one playoff year. The others were Leo Reise, Jr. (1950 Red Wings), Chris Chelios (1995 Blackhawks), Niclas Wallin (2002 Hurricanes) and Scott Niedermayer (2007 Ducks).
* Most combined goals in a playoff game this postseason (11); most combined goals in a Cup finals game since Game 5 of 2010 finals (Blackhawks 7, Flyers 4)
* Only 2nd game since NHL took control of Stanley Cup in 1927 to go overtime with both teams scoring at least 5 goals (other was Islanders over Canucks, 6-5, in Game 1 of 1982 Final)
* 6th Cup finals series since 1927 to feature at least 3 overtime games (1st since Canadiens-Kings in 1993)
* Cup finals series will go at least 6 games for sixth straight postseason (last finals to go less than 6 games was Ducks-Senators in 2007)
* Patrick Sharp (CHI): PPG in 3rd period, now leads all players in goals this postseason (10) (had 1 points in previous 6 games)
* Blackhawks: break streak of 6 games without a power-play goal
* Bruins: allow PPG for 1st time since Game 5 of Conference Semifinals vs Rangers (had killed off 30 straight shorthanded situations)
* Bruins: 7-game home win streak in playoffs ends; only 3rd loss in last 14 playoff games overall (all 3 losses in OT)
* Patrice Bergeron (BOS): 2 goals (9); 4th career multi-goal playoff game (2nd this year)
* Tuukka Rask (BOS): 6 GA on 47 shots; had allowed 6 goals in his previous 5 games combined
* From Elias: Michal Handzus’ shorthanded goal 6:48 into Game 4 ended Tuukka Rask’s home shutout streak at 193:16. It was the third-longest home shutout streak within one playoff year in NHL history. Detroit’s Terry Sawchuk holds the record at 240:00 in 1952 and Toronto’s Lorne Chabot went 195:03 on home ice without allowing a goal in 1933.

Stanley Cup Finals
With 3 Or More Overtime Games Since 1927
Year OT Games
2013 Blackhawks vs Bruins 3
1993 Canadiens vs Kings 3
1951 Maple Leafs vs Canadiens 5
1950 Red Wings vs Rangers 3
1946 Canadiens vs Bruins 3
1940 Rangers vs Maple Leafs 3

Each Team Scored 5 Goals in Cup Finals Game
Last 30 Years
Matchup
2013 Game 4 Blackhawks 6, Bruins 5
2010 Game 1 Blackhawks 6, Flyers 5
1992 Game 4 Penguins 6, Blackhawks 5

Most Combined Goals In A Game
2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Comb. Goals
Cup Finals Game 4 Blackhawks at Bruins 11 (CHI 6, BOS 5 - OT)
Conf. Semis Game 4 Penguins at Senators 10 (PIT 7, OTT 3)
Conf. Qtrs. Game 4 Penguins at Islanders 10 (NYI 6, PIT 4)
Conf. Qtrs. Game 7 Maple Leafs at Bruins 9 (BOS 5, TOR 4 - OT)
Conf. Qtrs. Game 3 Penguins at Islanders 9 (PIT 5, NYI 4 - OT)
Conf. Qtrs. Game 2 Red Wings at Ducks 9 (DET 5, ANA 4 - OT)

Tuukka Rask in Home Playoff Games
Since Conference Semifinals
Entering
Game 4 Game 4
W-L 6-0 Lost
Save pct .971 .872
Goals 6 6
Minutes 410:59 69:51

NEXT LEVEL: The Chicago Blackhawks made a point of taking closer shots in Game 4, shooting 34% of their shots from the slot or in front of the net. Only 19% of their shots in Games 1 through 3 came from this area.

Blackhawks from Slot or In Front
2013 Stanley Cup Finals
Games 1-3 Game 4
SOG Per Game 8 16
Goals 1 5
Pct of total SOG 19.2 34.0

BOSTON -- Patrick Sharp had a new nickname for Brent Seabrook after he scored his second overtime playoff goal in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals.

"He's 'Mr. Overtime,'" Sharp said.

Seabrook has developed that reputation because he's scored twice in these playoffs, and both happened to be game winners. Seabrook's first OT goal won Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Detroit Red Wings. That one lifted the Blackhawks to a 2-1 win and completed their series comeback after being down 3-1.

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