RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -A group of Edmonton players swarmed around Ty Conklin, peppering him with rubber and looking to expose any vulnerability. Upper left corner. Lower right post. Stick side. Glove hand. Between the pads.
At the other end of the rink, Jussi Markkanen faced a similar barrage, managing to stop some of the shots with various parts of his heavily padded body.
This was a crash course in Stanley Cup 101, an off-day practice that took on the look of a tryout with the Oilers trying to decide which obscure goalie will take over the most important position on the ice.
Either Conklin or Markkanen will start for the Oilers in Game 2 of the finals Wednesday night, well aware that their team is already down a game to the Carolina Hurricanes and reeling from the loss of playoff star Dwayne Roloson.
``The way Roli has been playing, it's really unfortunate what happened,'' Conklin said after the hourlong practice. ``But, on the flip side, it is a good opportunity for whoever plays.''
Until now, Conklin and Markkanen had spent the entire postseason watching Roloson pull off one miraculous save after another, leading the eight-seeded Oilers to the brink of their first Stanley Cup title since 1990.
Now, it's all on their shoulders because of Roloson's right knee, which was wrenched in a goal-mouth collision during the closing minutes of Game 1. The 36-year-old starter is out for the series with a sprained medial collateral ligament.
Conklin, who played only 18 games during the regular season while battling injuries and stinging criticism, was the first guy off the bench after Roloson was injured Monday night.
The backup didn't exactly instill a lot of confidence when he botched a clearing attempt behind the net, allowing Carolina's Rod Brind'Amour to score into an open net with a half-minute remaining for a 5-4 victory.
Markkanen, who wasn't in uniform for the opener, is the other option. Coach Craig MacTavish isn't saying which goalie he plans to start in Game 2, though some might wonder if it really matters.
Both goalies struggled during the regular season. Conklin was bothered by a strained groin and made two trips to the minors trying to get back into playing shape. Markkanen handled most of the games early on, but he didn't make nearly enough big saves. The since-traded Mike Morrison also figured in the mix as the Oilers flailed around in their search for a reliable No. 1 goalie.
MacTavish got downright desperate at times.
In late October, Markkanen was lifted after he gave up three goals on 13 shots. Conklin took over in the nets, only to give up four goals on 11 shots in the second period. Markkanen returned to play the final 20 minutes of a 7-1 loss to Colorado, with both goalies hearing plenty of boos from the home crowd.
In early March, MacTavish was still trying to shake things up. After Conklin played all 65 minutes of regulation and overtime against Dallas, Morrison was surprisingly sent in to handle the shootout. That didn't work, either.
The next day, Edmonton dealt a first-round pick to the Minnesota Wild for Roloson, a former All-Star who had fallen into a backup role behind Manny Fernandez.
Roloson steadied things the rest of the way, playing 19 straight games to help the Oilers lock up the last playoff berth in the Western Conference before Conklin started the meaningless finale.
In the playoffs, Roloson played every minute of every game as the Oilers knocked off top-seeded Detroit, San Jose and Anaheim to reach the finals. He certainly would have played every game against Carolina, but that run ended with just under six minutes left in the opener.
The teams were tied at 4 when Carolina rookie Andrew Ladd carried the puck into the Edmonton zone and cut across in the front of the net. Defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron unloaded a big hit from behind that drove Ladd into Roloson.
``I knew right away that something bad happened,'' said Roloson, who limped around the arena Tuesday after undergoing an MRI at nearby Duke University. ``I felt something pop in my knee.''
The Hurricanes know they've gotten a huge break. During the playoffs, there's nothing more important than having a hot goaltender - and the Oilers just lost the hottest one around.
``Obviously, he was playing very well for them,'' Carolina coach Peter Laviolette said. ``Any time you take a main player out of your lineup, you're going to feel the effects of it.''
The Hurricanes lost top forward Erik Cole to an injury during the regular season, but they had time to make a trade for Mark Recchi and work him into the lineup. Laviolette acknowledged that Edmonton is facing a more difficult challenge.
``It maybe even gets magnified a little bit more because it's the goaltending position,'' he said.
Especially when the two possible replacements have played so little.
Markkanen's most recent appearance was March 1, and he was yanked after the second period in that one. Other than the last regular-season game, Conklin hasn't started since March 7 - that embarrassing episode in Dallas when he watched the shootout from the bench.
``The numbers speak for themselves,'' Markkanen said. ``But the main thing is we are here and it's not time to look in the past.''
MacTavish is confident that his team can overcome Roloson's devastating injury. He looked no farther than Carolina, which appeared down and out in its opening-round series against Montreal.
The Hurricanes lost the first two games at home and trailed in the third period of Game 3. They rallied to win that one - and the next three as well - and here they are in the Stanley Cup finals.
``This is our test right now,'' MacTavish said. ``No team wins the Stanley Cup without a certain amount of resiliency. We have to show some right now.''
At the other end of the rink, Jussi Markkanen faced a similar barrage, managing to stop some of the shots with various parts of his heavily padded body.
This was a crash course in Stanley Cup 101, an off-day practice that took on the look of a tryout with the Oilers trying to decide which obscure goalie will take over the most important position on the ice.
Either Conklin or Markkanen will start for the Oilers in Game 2 of the finals Wednesday night, well aware that their team is already down a game to the Carolina Hurricanes and reeling from the loss of playoff star Dwayne Roloson.
``The way Roli has been playing, it's really unfortunate what happened,'' Conklin said after the hourlong practice. ``But, on the flip side, it is a good opportunity for whoever plays.''
Until now, Conklin and Markkanen had spent the entire postseason watching Roloson pull off one miraculous save after another, leading the eight-seeded Oilers to the brink of their first Stanley Cup title since 1990.
Now, it's all on their shoulders because of Roloson's right knee, which was wrenched in a goal-mouth collision during the closing minutes of Game 1. The 36-year-old starter is out for the series with a sprained medial collateral ligament.
Conklin, who played only 18 games during the regular season while battling injuries and stinging criticism, was the first guy off the bench after Roloson was injured Monday night.
The backup didn't exactly instill a lot of confidence when he botched a clearing attempt behind the net, allowing Carolina's Rod Brind'Amour to score into an open net with a half-minute remaining for a 5-4 victory.
Markkanen, who wasn't in uniform for the opener, is the other option. Coach Craig MacTavish isn't saying which goalie he plans to start in Game 2, though some might wonder if it really matters.
Both goalies struggled during the regular season. Conklin was bothered by a strained groin and made two trips to the minors trying to get back into playing shape. Markkanen handled most of the games early on, but he didn't make nearly enough big saves. The since-traded Mike Morrison also figured in the mix as the Oilers flailed around in their search for a reliable No. 1 goalie.
MacTavish got downright desperate at times.
In late October, Markkanen was lifted after he gave up three goals on 13 shots. Conklin took over in the nets, only to give up four goals on 11 shots in the second period. Markkanen returned to play the final 20 minutes of a 7-1 loss to Colorado, with both goalies hearing plenty of boos from the home crowd.
In early March, MacTavish was still trying to shake things up. After Conklin played all 65 minutes of regulation and overtime against Dallas, Morrison was surprisingly sent in to handle the shootout. That didn't work, either.
The next day, Edmonton dealt a first-round pick to the Minnesota Wild for Roloson, a former All-Star who had fallen into a backup role behind Manny Fernandez.
Roloson steadied things the rest of the way, playing 19 straight games to help the Oilers lock up the last playoff berth in the Western Conference before Conklin started the meaningless finale.
In the playoffs, Roloson played every minute of every game as the Oilers knocked off top-seeded Detroit, San Jose and Anaheim to reach the finals. He certainly would have played every game against Carolina, but that run ended with just under six minutes left in the opener.
The teams were tied at 4 when Carolina rookie Andrew Ladd carried the puck into the Edmonton zone and cut across in the front of the net. Defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron unloaded a big hit from behind that drove Ladd into Roloson.
``I knew right away that something bad happened,'' said Roloson, who limped around the arena Tuesday after undergoing an MRI at nearby Duke University. ``I felt something pop in my knee.''
The Hurricanes know they've gotten a huge break. During the playoffs, there's nothing more important than having a hot goaltender - and the Oilers just lost the hottest one around.
``Obviously, he was playing very well for them,'' Carolina coach Peter Laviolette said. ``Any time you take a main player out of your lineup, you're going to feel the effects of it.''
The Hurricanes lost top forward Erik Cole to an injury during the regular season, but they had time to make a trade for Mark Recchi and work him into the lineup. Laviolette acknowledged that Edmonton is facing a more difficult challenge.
``It maybe even gets magnified a little bit more because it's the goaltending position,'' he said.
Especially when the two possible replacements have played so little.
Markkanen's most recent appearance was March 1, and he was yanked after the second period in that one. Other than the last regular-season game, Conklin hasn't started since March 7 - that embarrassing episode in Dallas when he watched the shootout from the bench.
``The numbers speak for themselves,'' Markkanen said. ``But the main thing is we are here and it's not time to look in the past.''
MacTavish is confident that his team can overcome Roloson's devastating injury. He looked no farther than Carolina, which appeared down and out in its opening-round series against Montreal.
The Hurricanes lost the first two games at home and trailed in the third period of Game 3. They rallied to win that one - and the next three as well - and here they are in the Stanley Cup finals.
``This is our test right now,'' MacTavish said. ``No team wins the Stanley Cup without a certain amount of resiliency. We have to show some right now.''