Goalie change sparks Blackhawks comeback: Will Scott Darling start Game 2?

Scott Darling replaced starting goalie Corey Crawford after the first period, and responded by shutting out the Nashville Predators for the next 72 minutes and leading the Chicago Blackhawks to a comeback victory.

Things were looking bad for the Chicago Blackhawks from the moment the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs got underway. Things were looking really bad.

The usually reliable Corey Crawford looked like an amateur in between the posts tonight, and that is being generous. After one period, the Nashville Predators were up 3-0 and seemed to be in complete control of the game, and Crawford had no answer. This play pretty much sums up his night in goal, a debacle in which Chicago’s net-minder found himself stuck behind the goal, giving the Predators a wide open shot in the process.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville had clearly seen enough, and made the decision to pull his veteran goalie and replace him with Scott Darling, a little-know 26-year old rookie with only 14 games at the NHL-level under his belt. The end result was a genius coaching move.

In his first career Stanley Cup playoff game, Darling made 42 saves and shutout the Predators for the final 72 minutes of the game. Even more importantly, Darling’s prowess in net allowed for his team to make an unexpected comeback.

"“It was a great opportunity for [Darling] and he seized the moment,” Quenneville told the Chicago Tribune. “Playing in a playoff game of this magnitude in that situation, it was one of the greatest relief performances you’re going to see.”"

From the moment the young goaltender took the ice at the start of the second period, we saw a completely transformed and reenergized Blackhawks team. Almost immediately after the puck dropped in the second period, Chicago began to put its immense depth of talent on display. Niklas Hjalmarsson, Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews scored three unanswered goals to tie the game in a span of 12 minutes and eight seconds.

After both teams went scoreless throughout the third period and first overtime, longtime Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith sent a one-timer slap shot from the blue line that squeaked by Predators goalie Pekka Rinne for the win.

The improbable comeback win gives the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead over the Predators in the first round series. In addition to phenomenal goaltending from Darling and a dominant offensive performance by the team as a whole, star forward Patrick Kane looks to be back to his All-Star caliber self already. Despite returning five weeks early from a broken collarbone, he stepped right in and provided two quick assists during Chicago’s crucial second period scoring outburst.

While the decision on who will start in net tomorrow remains a mystery, one thing is absolutely certain; there will be no controversy or ill feelings between Corey Crawford and Scott Darling in the locker room.

The clip of the two goalies embracing each other after the win shows more than just the celebration that appears on the surface. It is symbolic of the win at all costs attitude and sense of togetherness that this Blackhawks team lives by.

Whether Scott Darling or Corey Crawford gets the start in goal tomorrow is irrelevant. What matters is the fact that the Chicago Blackhawks have the winning mindset, unmatched talent and, most importantly, team-first mentality to be a Stanley Cup contender.

Last night’s miraculous comeback is further poof of that.

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