Oilers Undecided on Starting Goaltender

When it comes to Stanley Cup playoff hockey anything can happen and for the Edmonton Oilers the worse case scenario played itself out on the ice Monday night as goaltender Dwayne Roloson was injured in the third period of last night's 5-4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. With the game tied 4-4 and 5:54 remaining on the clock, Dwayne Roloson was forced from the ice in the third period after Oilers teammate Marc-Andre Bergeron lead Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrew Ladd toward the net, a seemingly average play that saw Roloson twist his knee against the post while in the butterfly position. As a result, Dwayne Rolosn left the ice and it was later diagnosed that the Oilers netminder suffered from a sprained knee. According to TSN, Roloson confirmed that he is out for the remainder of the playoffs, but the injury is not serious, "It's a 3rd degree MCL. It won't heal quickly, but it will heal."

On Tuesday, a press conference was held with Edmonton Oilers coach Craig McTavish, who wouldn't confirm which goaltender would get the start in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Dwayne Roloson had started every playoff game for the Oilers, but the team must now call upon the back up talents of either Ty Conklin or Jussi Markkanen. As ESPN reports, Oilers coach Craig McTavish won't be forced into making a quick decision on his new starting goaltender, "I'm not going to get into what I'm telling, what I've told, what the situations is, what the goaltending will be. We'll just leave it at that."

The match-up between the Edmonton Oilers and the Carolina Hurricanes was the first time the two teams have met since the 2005-06 lockout. Prior to Game 1, prognosticators gave a slight edge to Carolina in that the first meeting between the two titans took place in the Hurricanes' home rink, the RBC Center. As well, pundits and odds-makers also gave the early edge to the Carolina Hurricanes due to the fact that the team had stronger goaltending with 22 year old Cam Ward and original playoff starter for the Hurricanes, Martin Gerber. After acquiring Dwayne Roloson prior to the playoff, the Oilers filled a hole left by the inconsistent regular season play of Ty Conklin and and Jussi Markkanen, but as they positioned themselves for a run to the Stanley Cup, many believed that if Dwayne Roloson got injured during the playoffs, it would end the Edmonton Oilers road to Stanley Cup glory.

Although Oilers coach Craig McTavish remains quiet on who will be in goal for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, former NHL head coach turned TSN analyst Paul Maguire, believes one Oilers netminder is stronger than the other, "But when you look at the way the Oilers play, you'll see they really rely on their goaltender's rebound control. That's where the advantage lies with Markkanen." However, Scott Burnside of ESPN sheds more light on what may be a key difference in choosing between Ty Conklin and and Jussi Markkanen, "Strip away their statistics and the debate over their technical merits, and the final question is, which of the two is deemed mentally strong enough to accept the challenge?"

How did Ty Conklin and and Jussi Markkanen fair during the regular season? As CBC Sports explains, neither goaltender saw much action in the Oilers line up, "Since Edmonton traded for Roloson last March, both Markkanen and Conklin have spent most games watching from the bench. Markkanen was the busier goalie in the regular season, going 15-12-6 with a 3.13 goals-against average. Conklin only appeared in 18 regular-season games, and before Monday's contest hadn't played since April 17."

The question remains, what will the Edmonton Oilers do now that their number one goaltender Dwayne Roloson is on the injury shelf? Formed in 1972 within the World Hockey Association, the Edmonton Oilers joined the National Hockey League in 1979 and went on to become one of the most successful franchises in professional hockey, winning four consecutive Stanley Cup championships between 1984 and 1988, plus another in 1990. The Oilers have had a long history of glory and in the 1980s were regarded as one of the strongest teams in NHL history with a collection of such legendary players as Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, goaltender Grant Fuhr, and current Oilers General manager Kevin Lowe. The 2006 Stanley Cup marks the first time the Edmoton Oilers have been in the Finals since 1990, a team that also went to the Cup with current Oilers head coach Craig McTavish.

[Additional Sources: TSN, ESPN, CBC]