Keith, Darling lift Blackhawks to comeback win over Predators in double overtime
Scott Darling was perfect off the pine and Duncan Keith scored the double-overtime winner as the Chicago Blackhawks clawed back from a three-goal deficit to beat the Nashville Predators 4-3 in Game 1 on Wednesday.
It was a momentous victory for Chicago, stealing home-ice advantage after being blitzed in the first, but also with the successful return of Patrick Kane, who collected two assists in his first game since Feb. 24.
Star Performer: Darling won't be credited with a shutout, but held his ground for just short of 68 minutes without conceding on a night the Predators tallied a postseason-best for shots on goal. He finished with 42 denials.
Turning Point: What else? Joel Quenneville tapped his backup on the pads during the first intermission after Corey Crawford allowed three goals on 12 shots in the first period.
Goalie comparison: OK, enough Darling. Pekka Rinne was no slouch either. He made 38 saves in the loss, but wasn't able to track Keith's seeing-eye shot.
Top Highlight: More Darling! This was his best of the night, a post-to-post pad stop on Ryan Ellis, who was stopped on a beautiful back-door feed from Mike Ribeiro.
Stat of the night: Keith took a game-high 39 minutes and 51 seconds of ice before putting his foot down, providing himself with some much-needed rest.
Series at a glance:
Game 1: Blackhawks 4, Predators 3 (2OT)
Game 2: Friday, April 17, 9:30 p.m. ET
Game 3: Sunday, April 19, 3:00 p.m. ET
Game 4: Tuesday April 21, 9:30 p.m. ET
Game 5*: Thursday, April 23, TBA
Game 6*: Saturday, April 25, TBA
Game 7*: Monday, April 27, TBA
*If necessary