There is a lot of blame to go around in the Pittsburgh Penguins' dressing room after the club dropped a 10-1 decision to the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night.

Following the whipping, defenseman Kris Letang took some personal responsibility for the loss, offering his apologies to goaltenders Antti Niemi and Matt Murray.

"I would say I'm sorry." Letang said, according to Sam Kasan of the team's website. "They deserve better than that."

Meanwhile, head coach Mike Sullivan, who was undoubtedly embarrassed by the loss, also shouldered a lot of the blame.

"Everything went wrong. We just didn’t play the game the right way," Sullivan said. "It’s disturbing. We have to do some soul searching.

"The responsibility falls on me," he added.

After also giving up five goals on Wednesday night to the St. Louis Blues, it's evident the reigning Cup champs are not playing like themselves to open the season.

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CHICAGO (AP) Brandon Saad scored three times in his return to Chicago and Ryan Hartman had a goal and four assists, helping the Blackhawks pound the Pittsburgh Penguins 10-1 on Thursday night.

Nick Schmaltz added two goals and an assist as Chicago kicked off its season in style with a runaway victory against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions. Patrick Kane also had a goal and three assists in the Blackhawks' highest scoring game since a 10-1 win against Winnipeg on Oct. 12, 1988.

Pittsburgh was coming off a 5-4 overtime loss to St. Louis in its season opener on Wednesday, and it looked every bit like a team on the second half of back-to-back nights. Antti Niemi was pulled after allowing four goals on 13 shots in his Penguins debut, forcing Matt Murray to come in after he took the loss against the Blues.

Sidney Crosby found Phil Kessel for a power-play goal at 2:05 of the second period, but Chicago already had a 5-0 lead at that point. It was the most goals allowed by Pittsburgh since a 10-8 loss to San Jose on Jan. 13, 1996.

The Blackhawks won the Central Division last season and finished with the most points in the Western Conference. But they were swept by Nashville in their second consecutive first-round loss, leading to a flurry of moves by admittedly angry general manager Stan Bowman.

Chicago, which won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015, scored three goals in 13 periods in the series against Nashville. It got four in the first 9:16 against Pittsburgh.

Ryan Hartman scored off a slick pass from Kane at 6:21. After Saad got his first off a rush with Richard Panik, Kane made another great pass to set up Schmaltz's backhander at 7:34. Saad then beat Niemi with a well-placed shot through a crowd in front, and the rout was on.

The 24-year-old Saad began his career with Chicago and helped the Blackhawks win two Stanley Cups before he was traded to Columbus after the 2015 season. Bowman got him back in a blockbuster trade with the Blue Jackets in June, parting with dynamic winger Artemi Panarin in a multiplayer deal.

For one night at least, it looked like a smart move. Saad finished off his hat trick at 5:21 of the third, and Brent Seabrook made it 10-1 with a rebound goal with 6:15 remaining.

Hartman set a career high for points and assists in a game in Chicago's highest-scoring opener, topping an 8-6 victory at Nashville on Oct. 5, 2006. Patrick Sharp also scored in his return to Chicago after signing a team-friendly, one-year deal with the Blackhawks in the offseason.

The one downer for the Blackhawks was an injury for Schmaltz in the third. He skated off gingerly at 7:49 and was helped to the locker room.

NOTES: Sharp's first-period goal was his 600th career point. ... Blackhawks F Marian Hossa was greeted with a huge roar when he was introduced with the team before the game. Hossa has been ruled out for the season due to a progressive skin disorder, and it's unclear if he will be able to play again. ... Former Blackhawks F Bryan Bickell received a standing ovation when he took one more skate with the team during the pregame festivities. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis last November and signed a one-day contract Wednesday to retire with the Blackhawks.

UP NEXT

Penguins: Host Nashville on Saturday night.

Blackhawks: Host Columbus on Saturday night.

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More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

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Jay Cohen can be reached at https://twitter.com/jcohenap

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The hat trick is en vogue on opening nights around the NHL, and some history has been made in the process.

Connor McDavid, Alex Ovechkin, Wayne Simmonds, and Brandon Saad all scored three times in their first games of the campaign, marking the first time since 1917-18 that four hat tricks were registered in season-opening contests.

McDavid and Simmonds both capped three-goal nights with empty-netters Wednesday, while Ovechkin and Saad pulled off the feat Thursday in their respective openers.

The last time four hat tricks were notched in each of the players' opening games in the same season, it was accomplished by Harry Hyland of the Montreal Wanderers, Joe Malone of the Montreal Canadiens, Cy Denneny of the Ottawa Senators, and Reg Noble of the Toronto Arenas back in that 1917-18 campaign.

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Alex Ovechkin doesn't need much time to beat you.

The Washington Capitals captain scored three third-period goals against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday to record his 18th career hat trick.

With the trick, Ovechkin is now up to 561 tallies for his career, passing Guy Lafleur and tying Mike Modano for 24th on the all-time goals list.

He also becomes the second Capitals player in history to score a hat trick in a season-opening game, joining Mikhail Grabovski, according to NHL Public Relations.

Ovechkin would cap off the night with another goal in the shootout.

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Seeing where you're passing is overrated for Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane.

The slick playmaker delivered two uncanny no-look passes Thursday night that led directly to goals.

Not to be outdone by himself, Kane also used his trademark spin-o-rama to set up Nick Schmaltz for Chicago's third of the game.

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Even former NHL tough guys can get emotional when the moment calls for it.

Louie DeBrusk, father of Boston Bruins rookie Jake and a veteran of more than 400 NHL games himself, teared up when his son notched the first goal of his career Thursday night against the Nashville Predators.

It was a big night for Bruins rookies and their parents, as defenseman Charlie McAvoy buried his first NHL goal to the delight of his mom and dad about 10 minutes later.

(Video courtesy: NHL.com)

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That's what you get for $80 million.

Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Eichel gave a quick reminder just why he deserves to be paid top dollar in this league, setting up Jason Pominville with a sweet saucer pass for an easy one-timer goal.

The assist was Eichel's first point of the 2017-18 season. Meanwhile, Pominville's goal was his second of the night coming in his first regular season game with the Sabres since 2013.

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The Dominator would be proud.

In Hasek-like form, Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk flopped onto his back to make an acrobatic save with his arm Thursday, robbing Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist on a breakaway. Here's a closer look:

Dubnyk's combination of size (6-foot-6) and athleticism has made him one of the league's best goaltenders.

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Boston Bruins forward David Backes is expected to miss three to four weeks with diverticulitis, the team announced Thursday.

Backes will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks, but the ailment is expected to keep him out longer.

The 33-year-old is entering the second year of a five-year, $30-million contract and is coming off his first season with the Bruins in which he scored 17 goals and 38 points in 74 games.

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