Scott Darling has not taken the NHL by storm during his first season with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The goaltender was acquired from the Blackhawks and signed a four-year contract with Carolina last summer, but posted a record of 10-16-7 with an .889 save percentage heading into Thursday's game in Chicago.
Darling stopped 22 of 24 shots in a 3-2 win, his first since Feb. 9. Needless to say the positive result against his old team was a big relief.
"Any win right now is good," he said after the game, according to NHL.com's Charlie Roumeliotis. "I feel like I've been playing well but I haven't been getting the results. Tonight it was a good time to get it."
The win came a day after new team owner Tom Dundon relieved general manager Ron Francis of his duties. It was Francis, of course, who made the call to install Darling as the supposed starter for the foreseeable future, a decision that has not paid off to date.
With the win, the Hurricanes pulled to within four points of a wild-card playoff spot, and more strong play from Darling would certainly help the cause.
Copyright © 2018 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.