Duncan Keith, Scott Darling lead Blackhawks 2OT comeback over Predators
If you’re the Chicago Blackhawks, Wednesday’ 4-3 double overtime Game 1 win over Nashville was a great story. One of redemption for backup goaltender Scott Darling and fulfillment for a team that was behind 3-0 after a first period blitzkrieg by the Predators.
For Nashville? It was an extreme wasted opportunity, one that could cost the Predators its series with Chicago. Overstatement? Perhaps. But in the playoffs, you can’t lose a game like that if you have a 3-0 lead at home. … you just can’t.
The game-winner was scored by Duncan Keith at the 7:49 mark of the second overtime. His shot seemed to find its way through a moving maze of Predators and Blackhawks in front of him and Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne.
Nashville notched three scores in the first frame, two by Colin Wilson and another by Viktor Stalberg. This caused Chicago coach Joel Quenneville to make the switch from Stanley Cup winning goaltender Corey Crawford to Darling for the start of the second.
Did Quenneville make the decision because Crawford didn’t have ‘it’ Wednesday? Did he do it to shift momentum? No matter what … “It was one of the greatest relief performances you’re going to see,” he said in his postgame media scrum.
Agreed.
Chicago’s offense got jumpstarted with goals by Niklas Hjalmarsson, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp in the second. And its defense didn’t allow another goal. It turned out Chicago did need Patrick Kane after all. The forward, playing in his first game since he broke his clavicle Feb. 24 notched two assists.
Darling came up huge for the Blackhawks. Especially on this third period save on Ryan Ellis.
How. Did. He. Do. That.
The 26-year-old Darling was a castoff several years ago, toiling with teams like the Florida Everblades and Louisiana Ice Gators. He entered Nashville’s system in 2013-14 with its AHL affiliate in Milwaukee eventually where he regained his form, interestingly with former Nashville goaltending coach Mitch Korn and current goaltending coach Ben Vanderklok, who oversaw Milwaukee’s netminders.
The Chicago-area native was signed by the Blackhawks last summer as an AHL goaltender and took over the backup role during the year.
He stopped all 42 Nashville shots on goal in 67:44 of action.
“I mean, he’s played great in every game he’s played for us,” Sharp said. “I think we’ve got to do a better job tightening up, but at the same time when he makes those types of saves it gives us confidence to know that he’s there to back us up.”
The below video actually pretty cool via the Blackhawks:
And for the Predators, a team that had lost six straight heading into the playoffs … more questions on Nashville’s postseason readiness.
“We are at one game,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “You would rather be sitting in a different position for sure, but it is only one game. We are going to come in to work tomorrow, we are going to get ready, pull a lot of positives from the game tonight, but we have to win hockey games as well.”
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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