Can Hawks close gaps on Ovechkin?

NEW YORK - Next up for the 0-1 Blackhawks? Trying to contain the one and only Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals tonight at the Verizon Center.

Ovechkin led the NHL with 65 goals and 112 points last season, but March 19 at the United Center, the Hawks held him to 2 shots on goal in a 5-0 win.

"Our gaps have to be good against him, keep a tight gap on him whoever has to be on him," said Hawks coach Denis Savard. "We have to close our gap and eliminate time and space as much as possible. If you give him time and space, he'll hurt you."

The Capitals opened the season Friday night with a 7-4 loss in Atlanta, as Ovechkin went scoreless playing with a sore groin.

Ovechkin plays with emotion and passion, which Hawks goalie Cristobal Huet saw up close last season when he finished the year in Washington.

"What you see is what you get," Huet said. "He enjoys playing hockey and that's all that matters to him. It's no act. He's really like that."

Not only is Ovechkin the game's premier goal scorer, he'll run over an opponent if he has to make a play.

"He's got lots of ability, but he competes and he'll hit you," Savard said. "Better keep your head up."

Savard said Ovechkin's competitive level is what separates him from other superstars.

"You can have the best skill in the world, but he has lots of will and that's why he's great," Savard said. "You look at the great young players around the league, including our players that we have here, and it's their will. That's what separates great players from medium players."