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Neal, Predators chase Darling in little time

Nashville Predators v Chicago Blackhawks - Game Four

Nashville Predators v Chicago Blackhawks - Game Four

NHLI via Getty Images

Are the Nashville Predators starting to get to Scott Darling? Could it be that James Neal has the young Chicago Blackhawks netminder’s number?

It might be a little early to ask such a question, but the bottom line is that the power forward has given the Predators a nice lead so far in Game 6.

The prettiest tally was his first, as he beat Darling with a simple (but nice) move just 1:10 into the contest:

Not long after, Neal deflected a shot in for a power-play goal to make it 2-0 quite early in the game.

Getting a 2-0 lead is very nice for Nashville, but a litany of opponents would tell the Predators not to get too comfortable against the dangerous Blackhawks attack.

Still, it’s certainly a positive development for the Preds, and one can only wonder how long the leash is for Darling.

Update: It turns out that the leash is fairly short for Darling. Patrick Sharp made it 2-1, but moments later, Matt Cullen scored a 3-1 goal. Corey Crawford was summed back into the Chicago net less than 12 minutes into the first period ... and that’s that.

For now?