Scott Darling will get the start in net for the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 of the Western Conference quarterfinals on Sunday at the United Center, head coach Joel Quenneville announced Saturday.
Quenneville will bench his Stanley Cup-wnning, $36-million goaltender Corey Crawford, who has allowed nine goals on 47 shots in the series, a .809 save percentage.
Darling’s record-setting relief performance in Game 1, along with Crawford’s and the team’s poor performance Friday in Game 2 added fuel to the fire to start the rookie net minder.
Darling, a Lemont, Ill. native, made his playoff debut Wednesday at the start of the second period and stopped all 42 shots he faced in a double-overtime victory.
Q: “It’s a tough decision for us. Crow has done so much for us in the past and he’s had a tremendous year.” #Blackhawks
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) April 18, 2015
Q on Crawford: “It’s not like he’s never going to play again. It’s not like he’s discarded off the team.” #Blackhawks
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) April 18, 2015
Jimmy Waite gave Crawford the news. Q hasn’t spoken to him. “I would expect Crow to handle it like a pro. I think he’d be understanding.”
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) April 18, 2015
Quenneville said, basically, he will evaluate goalies on a game-by-game basis.
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) April 18, 2015
Q on Vermette: “We’ll look at a couple of options. We’ll see on the lineup changes tomorrow.” #Blackhawks
— Tracey Myers (@TramyersCSN) April 18, 2015
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