Who is Scott Darling and why is he the surprise hero of the Stanley Cup playoffs' opening night? Second item, easiest to answer: Darling saved the Chicago Blackhawks' bacon in Game 1 against the Nashville Predators. In the proce s, he stole home-ice advantage from the Preds and put the 'Hawks in command. UPDATE: . MORE: | Tonight: | | | | Scott Darling (Getty Images ) First item, easy answer: Darling, 26, entered the series as backup to Corey Crawford. So when Crawford got the hook early in Game 1, coach Joel Quenneville sent Darling into his first NHL playoff game. Score: 3-0 when Darling left his bench seat. Result: Darling made 42 saves in a 4-3 victory in double overtime. "One of the greatest relief performances you're going to see," Quenneville told media members after the game. Q's right: Elias Sports Bureau said Darling set a record with 67:44 in relief without allowing a goal. The previous mark of 56 minutes belonged to Curtis Joseph, who stopped all 22 shots he faced for the Calgary Flames in relief of Miikka Kiprusoff on April 13, 2008 against the San Jose Sharks. SEEKING FIRST CUP: | Darling, , called his first NHL playoff appearance exciting and nerve-wracking Nick Paul Jersey (of course). The boys had his back. "It seems like no stage is too big for him," Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp told media members after the game. "Tough position to get started in. As a rookie goaltender, I'm sure there's a lot of nerves, for sure. Haven't seen that out of him. He looks confident every time in net. He's big. He's square." The Predators will rue this lo s, the latest example of second-period sloppine s, according to . That's not all: in the second period with a lower-body injury. It's not clear whether he will be available for Game 2. VIDEO: | | | Thursday, there was discu sion whether Darling should start Game 2, which will be played Friday in Nashville. Good question. But as Steve Rosenbloom of wrote, it's not a matter of Crawford being a buffoon. He could be blamed for one of the three goals, and there is a solid case to be made why Crawford should start Friday. On the other hand, the pro-Darling camp isn't wrong. Darling, the bearded wonder from suburban Lemont, Ill., is the toast of Chicago not just because he helped the Blackhawks win, but also because of how he did it. . It was probably a tougher situation to pull him out last night, Quenneville said Thursday. Hes been our strength all year long. It was one period. After the Blackhawks responded to Quenneville's slap in the face (pulling a goalie is often as much that as punishment for a netminder's foibles) and restored order in the second period, Darling made 15 saves in the third period and 17 in the first overtime. That's not just a lot of rubber; there were quality shots. Here's how described the showstopper: None was bigger than a spectacular save on Ryan Ellis on a back-door, acro s-the-crease pa s from Colin Wilson on a power play in the third period. Moving from his left to his right, Darling did the splits to stop Ellis' shot with his right skate. To which Darling offered this explanation: "That was good pre-scouting by the coaches, by [Blackhawks goalie coach] Jimmy Waite. They tried it on a few other power plays. But one time it wasn't shot, one time I blocked the pa s. He [Wilson] executed it just how he wanted to do it and luckily the coaches [had given] me a heads-up on that play before the game and I was able to get a read on it. I was fortunate that he didn't raise the puck and it hit my leg." Blackhawks players believe in Darling, who was 3-1 with a 2.31 goals-against average and .947 save percentage in his past five games. Now the Blackhawks, who have Patrick Kane back from his broken collarbone, have confidence and every opponent should be very afraid. NEED PLAYOFF TICKETS? Here's more on Darling, via the NHL: Darling is the second goaltender to win in his playoff debut while allowing no goals and playing more than 60 minutes. The first: beat the Montreal Maroons 1-0 in six overtimes on March 24, 1936. Darling is the first Blackhawks rookie goaltender to win his playoff debut since Ed Belfour on April 6, 1990. He is the first Blackhawks goaltender to make his regular-season debut and win a playoff game in the same season since 1940-41 (Sam LoPresti). Darling is the first goaltender from any NHL team to win while making his playoff debut in relief since April 21, 1997 (Steve Shields, Buffalo Sabres). His 42 saves were a career high and the most by a rookie goaltender in his first postseason appearance since April 24, 1997 (Jose Theodore, Montreal Canadiens). Darling made his NHL debut on Oct. 26. He split the past four seasons in the SPHL, ECHL and AHL. He is the first player from the Chicago area to appear with the Blackhawks since Danny Richmond in 2007-08. Gabriel Szturc Jersey