Bruins vs Red Wings

CHICAGO -- The story of Scott Darling started about 25 miles from United Center, but his journey from childhood Chicago Blackhawks fan to a place in their Stanley Cup Playoff lore is as remarkable and improbable as any player's path to the NHL.

A series of fortunate occurrences combined with hard work and a strong support group helped Darling overcome much and experience an incredible rise from the depths of professional hockey and the lowest moments in his personal life.

Darling helped save Chicago's chances of winning the Stanley Cup in 2015 by replacing Corey Crawford in goal and winning three games against the Nashville Predators. Crawford will start Friday when the Blackhawks face the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round series at United Center (9:30 p.m.; NBCSN, SN, TVA Sports 2), but Darling, a Lemont, Ill., native, has already, with a lot of determination, saved his career.

"Some pretty amazing things had to fall into place. Obviously it is a combination of my mindset and my drive, but also I had to get lucky along the way," the 26-year-old said.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith someday might run a marathon.

He's not the biggest fan of distance running, but he does have some experience with it and might get bored enough to try after he retires.

"I used to do a little running," Keith said Thursday, following practice at United Center. "To me it wasn't a whole lot of fun … just plain running. But I enjoy exercise, you know? I was always a pretty good long-distance runner."

For now, Keith is content as a defenseman long on endurance. He'll look to continue as the Blackhawks' marathon man on defense as they open their Western Conference Second Round series against the Minnesota Wild on Friday (9:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVA Sports 2).

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- In the tight-knit quarters of an NHL locker room, adding a player has the potential to change a team's energy, sometimes positively, sometimes negatively.

In the case of the Minnesota Wild, adding goaltender Devan Dubnyk not only was a positive, it was a stroke of genius.

DESPERATE FOR A CHANGE

On the morning of Jan. 13, the Wild were a team in crisis. Hovering around .500 and in last place in the Central Division, a season that began with high expectations was spiraling out of control.

CHICAGO -- Penalty killing was a big reason the Chicago Blackhawks eliminated the Minnesota Wild from the Stanley Cup Playoffs the previous two years.

It might be key again heading into a third straight postseason series between the Central Division rivals, which starts at United Center on Friday in Game 1 of a Western Conference Second Round series (9:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVA Sports 2).

The Blackhawks, who struggled to kill penalties at the end of the regular season, didn't improve in their Western Conference First Round series against the Nashville Predators. They rank 13th among playoff teams, allowing six power-play goals in 22 times shorthanded (72.7 percent) and know they have to improve quickly. The Wild scored four power-play goals in 12 opportunities against the St. Louis Blues in the first round and their 33.3 percent success rate leads playoff teams.

"When it doesn't work you always try to make some adjustments," Blackhawks center Marcus Kruger said Wednesday after practice. "We're not happy with how that series went in [the penalty-killing] aspect, but we have a new chance here playing Minnesota. They've got a good power play, so we have to get better in that area to be successful."

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks are not strangers when it comes to Stanley Cup Playoff hockey.

Wild forward Thomas Vanek, however, is new to the matchup, and could be a difference-maker.

For the third consecutive season, the Central Division rivals will play in the postseason, this time in the Western Conference Second Round for the second consecutive year.

Game 1 is Friday at United Center in Chicago (9:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVA Sports).

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild are preparing for a much different challenge than they faced in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Wild will open their best-of-7 Western Conference Second Round series against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on Friday (9:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVA Sports).

Minnesota will jump headfirst into the series Wednesday. The players had off entirely Monday and had an off-ice workout and optional skate Tuesday at Xcel Energy Center.

Wild coach Mike Yeo said they escaped their six-game win against the St. Louis Blues relatively healthy, but the days off between the end of that series and the start of the next one will help heal some bumps and bruises.

CHICAGO -- Corey Crawford is ready to move forward.

The Chicago Blackhawks goalie will start Game 1 of their best-of-7 Western Conference Second Round series against the Minnesota Wild on Friday (9:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVA Sports), and hitting the reset button is all he cares about.

A turbulent series against the Nashville Predators in the first round is history to Crawford, who was pulled after one period in Game 1, lost his starting job to rookie Scott Darling for four games, and relieved Darling in Game 6 to close the series.

"I think I've answered enough questions about that," Crawford said after practice Monday. "It's done … it's done. We're moving on. Me and Scotty are both pushing each other. We want to push each other to be at our best, and we're just going to do the same thing we've done all year."

The Minnesota Wild will hope the third time is the charm against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Wild were the first team the Blackhawks dispatched on the way to winning the Stanley Cup in 2013, needing five games to eliminate them in the first round. In 2014, the Wild were fresh off their first series win in more than a decade, ending with a Game 7 overtime victory against the Colorado Avalanche, when the Blackhawks defeated them in OT to wrap up that series in six.

Now, with the Wild coming off an upset of the Central Division champion St. Louis Blues and the Blackhawks eliminating the higher-seeded Nashville Predators, each in six games, they're set to play in the Western Conference Second Round.

CHICAGO -- It appears Chicago Blackhawks forward Kris Versteeg will be the odd man out at the start of the Western Conference Second Round series against the Minnesota Wild.

Versteeg wore a white jersey Monday at the Blackhawks' practice facility and took line rushes outside the top four lines in Chicago's first practice since eliminating the Nashville Predators in the first round.

"I didn't mind him in the series," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said of Versteeg, who had one goal and averaged 15:34 while playing all six games. "I think we talk about attacking with speed [with Versteeg]."

Teuvo Teravainen, a 20-year-old rookie who was scratched the final four games against Nashville, skated in Versteeg's spot.

Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford will start in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round series against the Minnesota Wild, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said Monday.

"It's his net. Let's go," Quenneville said.

Crawford had started 57 consecutive Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Blackhawks until he was replaced by rookie Scott Darling during the Blackhawks' first-round series against the Nashville Predators. Crawford allowed three goals on nine shots in Game 1 and was pulled in favor of Darling, who stopped all 42 shots he faced to lead Chicago to a double-overtime victory.

Darling started Games 3 through 6 but was pulled in Game 6 in favor of Crawford after allowing three goals on 12 shots. The Blackhawks again staged a comeback, winning 4-3 and eliminating the Predators in the best-of-7 series.