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Carolina Hurricanes: Why is Scott Darling playing his best when it does not matter

By Andrew Miller

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 30: Scott Darling #33 and Valentin Zykov #73 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrate after the Hurricanes defeated the Washington Capitals 4-1 at Capital One Arena on March 30, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 30: Scott Darling #33 and Valentin Zykov #73 of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrate after the Hurricanes defeated the Washington Capitals 4-1 at Capital One Arena on March 30, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 01: Scott Darling #33 of the Carolina Hurricanes warms up prior to his game against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 1, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 01: Scott Darling #33 of the Carolina Hurricanes warms up prior to his game against the Philadelphia Flyers on March 1, 2018 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Verdict for last start: Philadelphia Flyers

Can Darling continue his solid performance from the last three outings? That is the true question for the Canes fans that’re actually still watching the last few games even though the team is eliminated from the playoff race in the East.

Ward got the start in Carolina’s last matchup with the Flyers, that came on March 1, also at Wells Fargo Center. In that start for Ward, he looked very mediocre, giving up three goals on 26 shots against. It’s definitely time for Darling to get the start, especially when the Canes are playing the role of spoiler.

Since the Flyers still have not locked up a playoff spot yet in the East, they need to fight harder than almost any other team in the league through the end of the week. The Florida Panthers are still hot on the tail of both the Flyers and New Jersey Devils. The Columbus Blue Jackets did lock up a playoff spot with an April 3 overtime victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

Philadelphia is a very streaky team offensively, and they’re likely to give former Wings goalie Petr Mrazek the start on April 5. Mrazek’s save percentage isn’t much better than Darling, sitting at .902. Darling can gain even more confidence with a potential quality outing here.

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