The Blackhawks had their first chance to avenge last season’s first-round sweep by the Predators on Saturday night, and they capitalized on that opportunity. Chicago overcame Nashville 2-1 in a closely fought bout that ended in overtime when Patrick Kane threaded the needle on a beautiful pass to Brandon Saad, who tapped in the game winner. The defending Western Conference champions outplayed the Hawks throughout the game, but Corey Crawford turned in an incredible performance, making 37 saves on 38 shots and shutting down Nashville offensively.
Chicago will have a few days of rest before they head to St. Louis to take on the Blues Wednesday at 7:00 p.m CT on NBCSN.
BLACKHAWKS
**RECAP: Brandon Saad’s overtime goal powers Blackhawks past Predators (SCH)
**How long can Brandon Saad keep this up for? (CSN Chicago)
**John Hayden is sorry his punch will cause Marcus Foligno to miss time (Tribune)
**However, Hayden is not planning to tone down his style: ‘Fights happen’ (Sun-Times)
**Hawks won, but key weaknesses were exposed in Saturday’s game (Blackhawk Up)
**Richard Panik is finally tapping into his ocean of talent (Sun-Times)
**2017-18 Top 10 Chicago Blackhawks Prospects (My NHL Trade Rumors)
CENTRAL DIVISION
**RECAP: Lightning hold off Blues in 2-1 win as Vasilevskiy makes 28 saves (NHL.com)
**RECAP: Wild surrender two-goal lead, lose in OT to Blue Jackets (Hockey Wilderness)
**RECAP: Nikolaj Ehlers scores the winner as Jets defeat Hurricanes 2-1 (NHL.com)
**RECAP: Avalanche fall to Stars 3-1in Dallas (The Denver Post)
**The Dallas Stars are (probably) better than their 1-3-0 start (Defending Big D)
**Despite scoring three Saturday night, the Stars’ scoring has work to do (DMN)
**Matt Duchene has been dominant for the Colorado Avalanche (Mile High Hockey)
**Ryan Johansen is doing a lot for Nashville offensively (Pred Lines)
NHL
**Report: NHL considering dropping All-Star Game in favor of international event (SBN)
**Vegas is still having trouble trademarking their Golden Knights name (SBN)
**Auston Matthews’ OT goal ends Maple Leafs’ losing streak to Canadiens (USA Today)
**Alex Ovechkin has never had a goal-scoring run like this (Pro Hockey Talk)
**After placing Matt Niskanen on LTIR, the Capitals already need help on defense (SBN)
**RECAP: Flyers rout Capitals 8-2 in home opener (Broad Street Hockey)
**RECAP: New Jersey Devils edge rival New York Rangers 3-2 (All About The Jersey)
HOCKEY WORLD
**2017-18 CWHL Season Preview (The Ice Garden)
**Top 10 players to watch in the CWHL this season (The Ice Garden)
**RECAP: Wisconsin caps successful weekend with 4-1 win at Merrimack (SBNCH)
**RECAP: Minnesota State completes sweep of Boston University with 3-0 win (CHN)
**China still has a chance to make it to the 2018 World Cup (New Straits Times)
**OHL Roundup: Magwood powers Barrie Colts past North Bay Battalion (Sportsnet)
**QMJHL: Hladonik keeps Armada hot with SO win over Olympiques (Sportsnet)
**WHL Roundup: Winterhawks edge Rockets in overtime (Sportsnet)