Oilers’ Stanley Cup dreams rest with backup goaltenders

By Steve Keating

RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) – Two backup netminders
once deemed disposable hold the key to Edmonton Oilers’s
Stanley Cup dreams after Dwayne Roloson was ruled out of the
NHL championship final with a knee injury on Tuesday.

American Ty Conklin or Finn Jussi Markkanen, who had not
seen a minute of duty during Edmonton’s Cinderella run to the
Stanley Cup finals, will now form the last line of defense as
the Oilers try to regroup from the loss of Roloson and a 5-4
Game One loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday.

The slight favorites going into the best-of-seven series
opener, the Oilers were instantly transformed into underdogs
late in the third period when Roloson was caught in a violent
collision around the net.

With just under six minutes to play and the score
deadlocked at 4-4, the series took a seismic shift when Oilers
defenceman Marc-Andre Bergeron slammed into Hurricanes’ forward
Andrew Ladd as he charged toward the net, sending both players
crashing onto Roloson.

The pain was felt all the way to Edmonton, as Roloson was
helped off the ice and coach Craig MacTavish confirmed Oilers
fans worst fears.

“Goalie’s not good. Won’t be back in the series,” MacTavish
told reporters immediately after the game.

There was no positive news on Tuesday as doctors confirmed
the initial diagnosis that Roloson had sustained a third-degree
strain of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee and
was out for the series.

“No, none,” said Roloson, when asked if there was any
chance he might make it back. “I knew right away something bad
happened.

“I felt something pop in my knee.”

LEADING CANDIDATE

Having played every minute, of every playoff game,
Roloson’s 12 post-season wins had made him a leading candidate
for the Conn Smythe trophy as the Stanley Cup MVP.

The Oilers will now look for inspiration in adversity as
the city’s hopes of celebrating their first Stanley Cup in 16
years rest with the play of Conklin or Markkanen, one of whom
will be pressed into service for Game Two on Wednesday.

The burden on the backups will be immense.

It was the lack of faith in Conklin and Markkanen to get
the Oilers into the playoffs that forced manager Kevin Lowe’s
hand to go out at the trade deadline and acquire Roloson from
the Minnesota Wild for a first round draft pick and future
considerations.

The Oilers thought so little of Conklin’s ability that they
twice placed him on waivers this season and were equally
unimpressed with Markkanen’s work, trading the Finn to the New
York Rangers before reacquiring him in 2004.

In his brief relief role for Roloson on Monday, Conklin
failed to distinguish himself by fumbling the puck behind the
net.

That resulted in Rod Brind’Amour swooping in and scoring
the game-winner with just 31 seconds on the clock, sending the
capacity crowd at the RBC Center into a frenzy.

“Both those guys (Conklin and Markkanen) at times have
played very well,” said MacTavish, without revealing his Game
Two starter. “We had a lot of confidence in them coming into
the season.

“They are NHL goaltenders. They have done it on the big
stage before.

“Jussi was the best goalie in the Russian league last year
during the lockout and Ty did a terrific job at the world
championships with the U.S. team. You never win a Stanley Cup
without overcoming some adversity along the way.

“This is our test now.”