Third period: 32.8 — Brad Marchand corrals a loose put and scores an empty net goal to seal for the victory for the Bruins.

Boston will take a 4-2 win over the Blackhawks, thanks to a pair of power play goals by Bergeron at Notre Dame Stadium.

Third period: 9:40 — For the first time today, the Boston Bruins are out in front as Sean Kuraly scores to make it 3-2 Bruins with 9:40 remaining in regulation.

Third period: 10:00 – Midway through the third period and there continues to be plenty of action on the ice.

Third period: 14:41 — It was announced that Notre Dame Stadium is a sellout. The 2019 Winter Classic is the second largest outdoor game ever at 76,126. Only Michigan Stadium had a larger crowd in 2014 with more than 105,000.

Third period: 15:58 — Boston, which already has a pair of power play goals, was unable to take advantage of a 5-3 advantage to open up the third period.

The game remains tied at 2-2.

Second intermission — NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the Cotton Bowl in Dallas will host the 2020 Winter Classic.

End of second period — A late power play goal allows Boston to head to the locker room tied at 2-2 with the Chicago Blackhawks in the Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium.

Second period: 1:12 — Boston takes advantage of another power play to tie the game at 2-2 with the Blackhawks.

Patrice Bergeron gets his second power play goal of the game.

Second period: 8:36 — Chicago’s Dominik Kahun re-directs the puck past Tuukka Rask to make it 2-1 Blackhawks with 8:36 remaining in the second period.

Second period: 12:08 — There has been plenty of action and a couple quality scoring chances, especially for Boston, but the score remains tied at 1-1 as they hit the first media time out.

The statistics are as even as the score as the Boston Bruins hold a 14-12 advantage on the Chicago Blackhawks in shots on goal.

Cam Ward has 13 saves on 14 shots for the Blackhawks, while Tuukka has 11 saves on 12 shots.

End of first period: Despite a breakaway in the closing seconds of the period by Chicago’s Patrick Kane, the Blackhawks and Bruins will head to the locker room tied at 1-1 in the Winter Classic.

 

First period: 7:15 — Boston takes advantage of its first power play opportunity as David Pasternak picks up his 24th goal of the season and we are tied at 1-1.

Patriece Bereron gets the assist.

 

First period: 11:30 — Chicago’s Brendan Perlini beats Tuukka Rask to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead in the Winter Classic.

David Kampf and Dylan Sikura pick up the assists on the goal.

 

First period: 13:25 — The temperature was at 35.5 degrees when the puck was dropped at Notre Dame Stadium for the Winter Classic.

It may actually be warmer for the hockey game than the Garth Brooks concert back in October.

The ice appears to be good and it is most definitely fast as the teams are flying up and down the rink.

Boston has had most of the quality scoring chances through the first seven minutes of play.

 

Pregame notes:

The  Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins, two of the National Hockey League’s “original six” teams, are no stranger to the Winter Classic.

The Blackhawks have played in six outdoor games and three Winter Classics. Chicago is still looking for its first victory in the

Winter Classic.

Boston has appeared in three outdoor games — all Winter Classics. The Bruins have hosted a pair of games, going 1-1 with a win over Philadelphia and a loss to Montreal.

For the first time since 1992, the NHL returns to the state of Indiana.

Chicago has played in all five previous regular season games in Indiana.

Notre Dame is the second college to host the Winter Classic and the fifth football stadium. Michigan hosted the 2014 Winter Classic.

 

Outdoor game notes and trends

• There have been 25 regular-season outdoor NHL games to date: 10 Winter Classics, nine Stadium Series, four Heritage Classics, one Centennial Classic and one NHL100 Classic.
• The NHL’s 25 regular-season outdoor games have drawn total attendance of 1,313,613 – an average of 52,545 per game.
• Fourteen outdoor games have taken place at football venues, 10 have been hosted by baseball parks and one has been staged in a soccer stadium.
• A total of 708 players and head coaches have participated in the NHL’s 25 regular-season outdoor games to date.
• Road teams are 15-8-2 in the League’s 25 regular-season outdoor games. Home clubs are 10-12-3 overall, but 5-0-1 in the last six and 6-2-1 in the past nine.
• Teams that score first are 15-7-3 in the NHL’s 25 regular-season outdoor games, including a 10-1-1 record in the last 12 such contests.
• Five of the League’s 25 regular-season outdoor games have required overtime, with three decided in the 5-minute extra session and two determined in a shootout.