Patrick Kane powers Chicago Blackhawks to get past Ottawa Senators on Thursday

Patrick Kane scored 38 seconds into overtime Thursday night as the Chicago Blackhawks came back to beat the host Ottawa Senators 4-3 in the season opener for both teams.

Alex DeBrincat and Jonathan Toews scored in the first period while Brent Seabrook forced overtime with a third-period goal for the Blackhawks, whose mini-dynasty came to a crashing halt last season when they went 33-39-10 and finished last in the Central Division. Chicago made the playoffs the previous nine years and won three Stanley Cups in that span.

Goalie Cam Ward, making his Blackhawks debut after spending his first 13 seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, recorded 22 saves.

Zack Smith, Maxime Lajoie and Colin White all scored during a hectic first period for the Senators, who finished with the second-fewest points in the NHL last season (67) and committed to a rebuild when they traded captain Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks last month.

Goalie Craig Anderson made 39 saves for the Senators.

DeBrincat opened the scoring at 4:40, when he corralled a loose puck around centre ice, evaded Thomas Chabot's attempt to poke the puck free and fired a shot under Anderson's left armpit.

Smith tied the score just 2:07 later when his shot from the blue line sailed past Ward, who was screened by the Senators' Mark Stone and the Blackhawks' Duncan Keith.

The Blackhawks went ahead 2-1 with 9:30 left, when Toews caught up to teammate Erik Gustafsson's clearing pass in between centre ice and the Senators' blue line and beat Anderson under his stick.

Lajoie scored his first NHL goal to pull the Senators even again a mere 96 seconds later. Matt Duchene threaded a pass under the stick of Seabrook to Lajoie, who went to one knee and beat Ward from point-blank range.

The Senators took the lead with 3:28 left in the period, when White, stationed to the left of Ward, took a pass from Lajoie and scored past the sprawling goaltender.

Following a scoreless second, Seabrook tied the score with 7:42 left in regulation, when he took a pass from Kane and fired the puck beneath Anderson's legs.

(With inputs from agencies.)