Darling starts and finishes as Canes top Predators 4-1

The plan was for Carolina Hurricanes goalie Scott Darling to play two periods Tuesday in the preseason road game against the Nashville Predators.

Darling, after two shutout periods, changed the plan and kept on playing. He didn’t get the shutout but the Canes earned a 4-1 victory at Bridgestone Arena to improve to 4-0 in the postseason.

Forward Warren Foegele, pushing hard for a roster spot, had a goal and assist for the Canes. Defensemen Brett Pesce and Trevor van Riemsdyk each added a goal -- Pesce in the second period, then van Riemsdyk in the third after the Canes killed off penalties against Valentin Zykov and Lucas Wallmark.

Brock McGinn scored on a power play in the third for a 4-0 lead -- Zykov picking up his second assist of the game -- before the Preds finally broke through against Darling on Ryan Johansen’s goal at 13:06 of the final period.

Darling, moving well and playing with confidence, finished with 28 saves. He faced just four shots in the first period, 10 in the second, then 15 in a third by the Preds (2-3 preseason).

“Our goaltender was great when we needed him to be,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We gave up a lot of Grade-A opportunities, especially in the third, and he looked pretty solid.”

Darling stopped all five power-play shots and two shorthanded attempts by the Preds.

The Canes had a lot of young players in the lineup against a more veteran Preds team, all trying to stay on the training-camp roster.

“Some of these guys bought themselves another day, as far as I’m concerned,” Brind’Amour said. “They play their butts off and don’t leave anything in the tank. That’s what we want.”

The Canes had 41 shots, getting 14 from the defensemen as Pesce and Haydn Fleury each had four.

This story was originally published September 25, 2018 at 10:49 PM.