5. Scott Darling is heating up
The last two starts from Darling have seen him let in only one goal in each game. While the Coyotes do not boast the strongest offense, it took a beautiful move from their leading scorer, Clayton Keller, to get past Darling.
In this contest, Darling let up only one goal on 38 shots. This is the type of goaltending that the Canes need on a semi-regular basis to snatch some big wins when they maybe should not have otherwise.
It’s unrealistic to expect Darling and Cam Ward to show out like this on every occasion. Yet, Darling is showing that the trust that general manager Ron Francis and head coach Bill Peters have put in him could be paying off.
Darling took a few starts to get comfortable between the pipes in Raleigh. Yet, his progression is noticeable on each and every night. Darling is adjusting very well to becoming a starting goalie in the NHL.