Scott Darling made 42 saves in relief of Corey Crawford to help the Blackhawks win Game 1. (USATSI)
Scott Darling made 42 saves in relief of Corey Crawford to help the Blackhawks win Game 1. (USATSI)

Scott Darling wasn’t supposed to be here. He certainly wasn’t supposed to play in Game 1 of a first-round series in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Heck, he probably shouldn't even be in the NHL given where he had to start from. Then on Wednesday night his number was called in a less-than-ideal situation.

The 26-year-old backup goaltender found himself in the net for the Chicago Blackhawks at the start of the second period. His team trailed the Nashville Predators by a 3-0 score on the road. That's a heck of a way to make a postseason debut.

As far as Darling is concerned though, everything from here on out should be considered a bonus. After abruptly ending his college hockey career at the University of Maine back in 2009-10, Darling has been on one of the windiest paths any player has had to take to make it the NHL.

From a forgettable rookie year in the Southern Professional Hockey League, a lower-level minor league circut, to today, no one could have anticipated Darling would be on an NHL roster by now. But what he did Wednesday night for the Blackhawks goes well beyond even the wildest expectations for the Lemont, Ill., native.

After starting goaltender Corey Crawford allowed three goals on 12 shots in the first period, Darling got the nod to start the second. The Blackhawks got to work in front of him.

Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson jumped into the play to make it 3-1 just 1:43 into the middle frame. Then it was Patrick Sharp converting on a feed from Patrick Kane to make it a one-goal game at the 8:32 mark. Up next, Jonathan Toews scored quickly on a power play to knot the score.

Chicago dominated the period, outshooting Nashville 11-4, not giving Darling much work. Then things got busy in the third period.

As both teams searched for the game-tying goal, the shots were plentiful. Darling made 15 saves in the third period, but was getting matched at the other end by seasoned NHL veteran Pekka Rinne. In the middle of the period, however, Nashville earned its best chance to beat Darling.

As the Preds worked the puck around the zone, Mike Ribeiro fed Colin Wilson in front of the Hawks net. In one fluid motion, Wilson wipped a blind pass to defenseman Ryan Ellis who had snuck down from the point. With the Blackhawks on the penalty kill, there was no one there to pick Ellis up.

Darling had barely enough time to react. This is where one of the attributes that kept giving Darling a chance to earn jobs in hockey really came into play. The 6-foot-6 goaltender lunged out at the puck with his right leg. Just as Ellis' shot had reached the goal line, the big pillow was there to keep it from crossing.

Minutes later, Darling had to deal with another mad scramble. Again, he prevailed.

Both teams survived regulation and followed that up with a frenetic, exhilarating overtime period. Nashville managed to put 17 shots on Chicago's net, each with varying degrees of difficulty for the goaltender. No matter if they came high or low, Darling was there.

This tweet really wasn't that far-fetched at the time. Nothing was getting by him.

By the time Duncan Keith scored the winning goal for Chicago 7:49 into the second overtime, Darling had made 42 saves since entering the contest. This was in a game he wasn't supposed to play in, in a league he wasn't supposed to make it to, in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

After the game, head coach Joel Quenneville had this to say about his backup:

Quenneville has been around the game a long time and has seen a lot of things, so we'll have to agree here. It was a dire situation that turned around almost the instant Darling took his place between the pipes.

In a year dominated by goaltenders, Darling's story has been overshadowed a bit. However, the Stanley Cup playoffs can shine the brightest of lights on the players who perform. After what Darling did Wednesday, he deserves all the attention he's sure to get.

And remember that winding path mentioned earlier? The last stop Darling made before finally landing with the Chicago Blackhawks this season was with the Milwaukee Admirals, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Nashville Predators.