admitted he was drained by a Mount Panoram

CHICAGO -- Richard Panik came through big to help the Chicago Blackhawks get their first win of the season.Panik scored three goals for his first NHL hat trick, Scott Darling was sharp in making 33 saves and Chicago hung on for a 5-3 victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.(Panik) had a great game, coach Joel Quenneville said. He did a lot of good things. ... Hes got ability offensively. He does some nice things with the puck. Hes got some finish.Panik scored his first goal midway through the first period to cap a Blackhawks blitz that put them ahead 3-0. Then, he scored twice in the third period, each time after the Predators had closed to within a goal.Quennivelle believes Panik, acquired from Toronto last January, can give the Blackhawks a boost if he can nail his consistency.Chicago has a healthy dash of new, young faces in its lineup, and seemed out of sync in dropping its first two games this season.Panik hopes he can help.My biggest weakness was to stay consistent, so Im trying to focus on that, Panik said. Just bring it every night. For me, (hitting) gets me into the game.Nick Schmaltz, one of four rookies in Chicagos lineup, scored his first NHL goal and Brent Seabrook added a power-play score and an assist as the Blackhawks rebounded from a 3-2 loss at Nashville on Friday. Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith each had two assists.Colin Wilson, Craig Smith and Viktor Arvidsson scored for the Predators.The Predators outshot Chicago 36-27 and dominated in stretches, but were stymied by Darling in the backup goalies first start this season.He was great, Quenneville said. The chances we gave up tonight were high quality.That didnt seem to bother Darling.I felt really comfortable out there, he said.Nashville trailed 3-0 after Schmaltz, Seabrook and Panik scored in a 3:43 span in the first period, and could never pull even in this one.I liked our game, Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. I thought we ran out of steam a little bit in the third period but we still had some chances to score.But for two periods I thought we played with pretty good energy and did a lot of good things out there.Nashville backup Marek Mazanec had 22 saves in his first NHL start since January 2015.The Blackhawks scored on three of their first five shots to take a 3-0 lead and led by two after the first period as Darling stopped 15 of 16 Nashville attempts, including several nifty saves on point-blank chances.Schmaltz opened the scoring 6:36 in when he plowed to the net off the left boards and beat Mazanec on the short side. Seabrooks power-play goal 1:43 later -- from a faceoff and just 6 seconds into the advantage -- made it 2-0..Panik extended it to 3-0 at 10:19 when he drove to the net against defenseman Matt Carle, pivoted in front and slid in a backhander.Wilson cut it to 3-1 with 1:29 left in the first by poking in a rebound of James Neals shot to complete a 3-on-1 break.Darling came up with two of his best saves, close-in pad stops on Smith and Wilson seconds apart, with just over five minutes left in the second.From a faceoff and 6 seconds into a power play, Smith cut it to 3-2 on shot from the right circle with 1:16 left in the period.Set up by Marian Hossas pinpoint pass, Panik tapped in his second goal, on a power-play at 4:56 of the second to make it 4-2. But Arvidsson drove to the net, outworked Chicago defenseman Brian Campbell at cut it to 4-3 at 10:06.Panik iced it when he completed his hat trick with 1:31 left after he was set up at the side of the net by Kane.Game notes Blackhawks rookie F Ryan Hartman, who left Fridays game in the first period after blocking a shot by P.K. Subban, missed Saturdays contest and is out day-to-day. Its positive news as far as the extent of the injury, coach Joel Quenneville said. Dennis Rasmussen took his place in the lineup. ... Chicago D Trevor van Riemsdyk was a healthy scratch for the second straight contest after playing in all 82 games last season. ... Nashville D Anthony Bitetto sat out with an upper-body injury. The Predators Miikka Salomaki suffered an upper-body in the second period and did not return. ... Although the announced United Center crowd of 21,665 was the Blackhawks 375th consecutive sellout, pockets of seats were empty as the Cubs hosted the Dodgers in Game 1 of the NLCS.UP NEXTPredators: Host the defending Western Conference champion Dallas Stars on Tuesday night.Blackhawks: Host the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. Fake Golden Knights Jerseys . The Barrie Colts defenceman, who impressed many with his play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship, is the top-ranked skater in the February rankings. He has 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 45 games with the Colts this season. Stitched Golden Knights Jerseys . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front. https://www.cheapgoldenknights.com/ .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Golden Knights Jerseys 2020 . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. Vegas Golden Knights Shirts . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. An emotional Bathurst 1000 campaign may finally be behind him but Craig Lowndes is facing another grim reality - he cant win the 2016 Supercars championship.Lowndes is third in the drivers standings, 319 points behind leader Shane van Gisbergen with three rounds left.But the Holden veteran believes he is no chance of claiming a fourth series win - and first since 1999 - ahead of this weekends Gold Coast 600.Lowndes, 42, admitted he was drained by a Mount Panorama campaign that honoured the 10th anniversary of his mentor Peter Brocks death.He was sentimental favourite to claim a seventh Great Race to acknowledge Brock but disaster struck, with a rare gearbox issue eventually relegating them to 16th.Going into Bathurst was always going to be emotional but we finally have put that past us, Lowndes said.He may have recovered from the emotional toll of Bathurst but not the damage done to his championship hopes.Lowndes said the 2016 drivers title was now a two horse rrace between Holden teammates van Gisbergen and second placed Jamie Whincup.ddddddddddddWe slipped off the lead. I think it is a battle between Shane and Jamie, he said.We are still in it points-wise but it is going to be tough coming back from where we are at.We need to win races and for these guys to have some failures which I cant see them having.The ultimate goal is to finish third and provide the team a one, two, three (season finish).Not that Lowndes will be putting up the white flag at this weekends Gold Coast 600.He has not savoured victory on the Gold Coasts concrete wall lined street circuit since 2013 but is still hopeful of tightening Holdens grip on the series.Holden teams have won 11 of the last 12 races in the championship.Its a tough weekend to get right, Lowndes said of the Gold Coast 600.We call it concrete canyon. ' ' '