by Shawn Sillinger
Canes captain leading way
The Edmonton Oilers lost more than just Game 1 down in Raleigh on Monday; they also lost starting goaltender Dwayne Roloson for the duration of the playoffs. Roloson, who was a strong candidate for the Conn Smythe trophy, will now hope that his team can weather on without him, and come back from an 0-1 deficit to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Oilers coach Craig MacTavish was in a somber mood in his press conference after Game 1, where he announced that Roloson would miss the rest of the postseason. The knee injury occurred with just over four minutes left in the game, when Hurricanes forward Andrew Ladd was forcefully pushed into Roloson by the Edmonton defense.
That leaves Edmonton?s goaltending in the hands of Ty Conklin and Jussi Markkanen. The inconsistent play of that duo is what convinced the Oilers to grab Roloson late in the season. Conklin went 8-5-1 in the regular season with a 2.80 GAA and an .880 save percentage. Markkanen was 15-12-6, with a 3.13 GAA, and an .880 save percentage.
And it was Conklin who gave up the deciding goal in the 5-4 Hurricanes win on Monday night. A misplay allowed Rod Brind?amour to score the winner into an empty net with just over 30 seconds left in the game. A frantic effort by the Oilers in the dying seconds failed to result in the tying goal, as Hurricanes netminder Cam Ward stood his ground.
Oilers forward Fernando Pisani opened the scoring in Game 1, beating Ward midway through the first period. Chris Pronger then scored on a penalty shot 10 minutes into the second period, and Ethan Moreau scored just six minutes later to put the Oilers up 3-0.
But the Canes started their comeback almost immediately. Brind?amour scored under a minute after Moreau found the back of the net, cutting Edmonton?s lead to 3-1 heading into the second intermission. Carolina then came out strong in the third period, getting two goals from Ray Whitney and another from Justin Williams to go up by a 4-3 score.
Williams? goal came while shorthanded. Oilers forward Ales Hemsky capped off a better Edmonton power play a few minutes later by putting one past Ward to tie up the game at four apiece. Roloson was subsequently injured, and the Canes went on to the victory.
Roloson allowed four goals on 23 shots before leaving the game, while Conklin gave up one goal on three shots. Ward gave up one goal on eight shots in the first period, two on 12 shots in the second period, and then only one on 18 shots in a busy third period.
Oddsmakers were behind Carolina in Game 1, as most books had them as -155 home favorites at the RBC Center. The Oilers, meanwhile, were set as +135 road underdogs. The nine-goal output made the game an easy OVER play (the total was set at 6 goals).
Wednesday?s Game 2 will also take place at the RBC Center in Raleigh, with the Canes again listed as the favorite. The series then shifts to Edmonton; Game 3 will be played on Saturday, with Game 4 slated for next Monday. If necessary, Game 5 will be back in Raleigh (June 14), Game 6 in Edmonton (June 17), and Game 7 in Raleigh (June 19).
And if the Oilers can push the series to six games in the absence of Roloson they won?t have to worry about Dora the Explorer. The popular kid?s show, which was also slated for June 17 at Rexall Place in Edmonton, has been shifted to another venue in the city.
For NHL odds click here .
Canes captain leading way
The Edmonton Oilers lost more than just Game 1 down in Raleigh on Monday; they also lost starting goaltender Dwayne Roloson for the duration of the playoffs. Roloson, who was a strong candidate for the Conn Smythe trophy, will now hope that his team can weather on without him, and come back from an 0-1 deficit to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Oilers coach Craig MacTavish was in a somber mood in his press conference after Game 1, where he announced that Roloson would miss the rest of the postseason. The knee injury occurred with just over four minutes left in the game, when Hurricanes forward Andrew Ladd was forcefully pushed into Roloson by the Edmonton defense.
That leaves Edmonton?s goaltending in the hands of Ty Conklin and Jussi Markkanen. The inconsistent play of that duo is what convinced the Oilers to grab Roloson late in the season. Conklin went 8-5-1 in the regular season with a 2.80 GAA and an .880 save percentage. Markkanen was 15-12-6, with a 3.13 GAA, and an .880 save percentage.
And it was Conklin who gave up the deciding goal in the 5-4 Hurricanes win on Monday night. A misplay allowed Rod Brind?amour to score the winner into an empty net with just over 30 seconds left in the game. A frantic effort by the Oilers in the dying seconds failed to result in the tying goal, as Hurricanes netminder Cam Ward stood his ground.
Oilers forward Fernando Pisani opened the scoring in Game 1, beating Ward midway through the first period. Chris Pronger then scored on a penalty shot 10 minutes into the second period, and Ethan Moreau scored just six minutes later to put the Oilers up 3-0.
But the Canes started their comeback almost immediately. Brind?amour scored under a minute after Moreau found the back of the net, cutting Edmonton?s lead to 3-1 heading into the second intermission. Carolina then came out strong in the third period, getting two goals from Ray Whitney and another from Justin Williams to go up by a 4-3 score.
Williams? goal came while shorthanded. Oilers forward Ales Hemsky capped off a better Edmonton power play a few minutes later by putting one past Ward to tie up the game at four apiece. Roloson was subsequently injured, and the Canes went on to the victory.
Roloson allowed four goals on 23 shots before leaving the game, while Conklin gave up one goal on three shots. Ward gave up one goal on eight shots in the first period, two on 12 shots in the second period, and then only one on 18 shots in a busy third period.
Oddsmakers were behind Carolina in Game 1, as most books had them as -155 home favorites at the RBC Center. The Oilers, meanwhile, were set as +135 road underdogs. The nine-goal output made the game an easy OVER play (the total was set at 6 goals).
Wednesday?s Game 2 will also take place at the RBC Center in Raleigh, with the Canes again listed as the favorite. The series then shifts to Edmonton; Game 3 will be played on Saturday, with Game 4 slated for next Monday. If necessary, Game 5 will be back in Raleigh (June 14), Game 6 in Edmonton (June 17), and Game 7 in Raleigh (June 19).
And if the Oilers can push the series to six games in the absence of Roloson they won?t have to worry about Dora the Explorer. The popular kid?s show, which was also slated for June 17 at Rexall Place in Edmonton, has been shifted to another venue in the city.
For NHL odds click here .
