Blackhawks beat Blues in fifth straight OT game

The Chicago Blackhawks became the first team in NHL history to start a season with five straight overtime games on Saturday.

Alex DeBrincat scored with nine seconds left in OT to beat the Blues 4-3, the second time this season Chicago has beaten St. Louis in overtime.

The New York Rangers had held the record with four OT games to start the 1997-98 season.

"I don't know. I think we just love playing 3-on-3 or something," Blackhawks forward Nick Schmaltz said, according to NHL.com. "But five in a row is crazy to start a year. We can do a better job with the lead. At the same time, we're not giving up when we're down. Guys are making big plays at key moments. That's a good sign to show we can come back when we're down."

More important than playing in the overtime games, Chicago has earned points in all five contests, going 3-0-2. The most dramatic game was an Oct. 7 loss to Toronto in which Patrick Kane scored at 18:36 of the third period to tie the game, only to see Auston Matthews score 22 seconds later. Kane answered with 29 seconds left in the third to force OT.

On Saturday, the Blackhawks let a 2-0 lead slip away against the Blues and fell behind 3-2, but they bounced back.

"Our group's been competitive this year; the guys have been working hard for one another," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "I don't know how many games we've been down in the third period, and coming back to win is special."