RALEIGH, N.C. -- At least Edmonton Oilers coach Craig MacTavish still has his sense of humor.
"I'd like to start by saying no questions about goaltenders," he said to a chorus of laughter Tuesday before spending the remainder of his press conference doing exactly that.
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| Dwayne Roloson is helped off the ice, while Ty Conklin steps between the pipes in Game 1. (AP) |
"It doesn't change anything from our point of view," said Hurricanes forward Ray Whitney, who scored twice in the opener. "If you're in this league, you're capable.
"Look (at rookie Cam Ward). He didn't start the playoffs for us and he's done some great things. We're concentrating on what we have to do."
Conciliatory words, certainly, but whether Ty Conklin or Jussi Markkanen gets the nod in goal for Game 2 -– MacTavish would not disclose which one he was leading toward -– there's no doubt Edmonton has sustained a severe blow.
"Any time you take a main player out of the lineup, you're going to feel the effects of it," said Carolina coach Peter Laviolette. "It maybe even gets magnified a bit because it's the goaltending position."
Especially in Roloson's case. Acquired by Edmonton at the trade deadline to upgrade a position that was a weak spot for the Oilers, Roloson saw his brilliant, potentially Conn Smythe-worthy postseason come to a sudden end when defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron checked hard-charging Hurricanes forward Andrew Ladd into him with just over five minutes remaining in the third period.
"You can't blame Marc-Andre at all. He was playing his position and trying to do his job," Roloson said. "He's trying to prevent the guy from coming to the front of the net, trying to do whatever it takes to win a hockey game."
Despite squandering a three-goal lead, the game was still up for grabs at the time, tied 4-4. But Carolina won when Conklin misplayed the puck behind the net, allowing Rod Brind'Amour to sweep it into a wide open net with only 32 seconds remaining.
"I wish it hadn't gone in. I'm not going to go back over it," Conklin said. "But let's not turn that play into some monumental thing. It's Game 1, not Game 7,"
Maybe so, but there still may be no tomorrow for Conklin, who was put on waivers earlier this season by Edmonton. Of course, Markkanen, who was traded away by the organization a couple of years ago as well, makes it hard to suggest either one has the edge in terms of creating more confidence in their teammates.
"This is no time to look back. The only thing we have to do is focus on the next game," Markkanen said. "It's kind of like a second chance."
And, for the rest of the Oilers, there's the reality they now have to deal with.
"They're both NHL goalies. It's not like we're calling somebody up from the East Coast League to fill that void," forward Ethan Moreau said. "Obviously you have to say the right things and it's certainly been a trying year for both, but both have practiced well and we're going to have to rally around them.
"They've both played well in the NHL and they've both gotten hot at times. That's all we need."
Particularly if the Hurricanes don't improve on a performance that they all agreed left them fortunate to escape with a victory.
"If we play like we did yesterday, it doesn't matter who they have in net," said Carolina forward Mark Recchi. "For whatever reason, we weren't ready to play and we have to change that.
"Both (Conklin and Markkanen) are NHL goalies. They can stop the puck. If we play our game, we'll find ways to be beat whoever is in net, but if we don't we won't be a successful hockey club."
That said, the pressure remains on Edmonton to overcome not only a crucial player loss so early in the series, but to overcome the psychological challenges associated with it. MacTavish said his team is resilient and has already put things into perspective.
"I fully expect us to play a terrific game," he said. "You never win a Stanley Cup without overcoming some adversity along the way and so far, we haven't had to overcome a lot. "We haven't faced an elimination game so far, and normally you don't get to the Finals without that. This is our test."
