"Nick Leddy scooped up the puck deep in the Blackhawks' zone, turned on the afterburners in open ice and weaved through three defenders before delivering a pass to Jamal Mayers, who scored.

That play, which occurred during the Hawks' 5-4 shootout loss to the Avalanche on Saturday night, is exactly what the team envisioned when they handed Leddy a steady job midway through last season.

"(Leddy) did a good job leading the rush," coach Joel Quenneville said of the scoring play. "It was a result of Nick carrying the puck, lugging it up. He's really progressing here.""