By: Derek Van Diest
Craig MacTavish doesn't want to talk about it.
The Edmonton Oilers head coach cringed when the subject was broached yesterday after practice.
But not talking about a hockey team's goaltending situation is equivalent to not talking about a football team's quarterback position.
It's vital in determining the success of a club.
"I don't want to get into the goaltending again," MacTavish said. "The lineup will be what it is when the puck drops (tonight), but there is a consideration - we have to get some other guys in."
By the time the puck drops tonight, it'll have been nine days since the team's No.1 goalie at the beginning of the season, Mathieu Garon, has played. And there is no guarantee he'll be back in goal tonight when the Oilers host the Colorado Avalanche.
Garon's last start came against Pittsburgh where he was pulled after allowing five goals in 20 shots through two periods. He's been lucky to just get a seat as a backup since.
"It's a long time, but you really can't complain about it," Garon said. "All I can do is practise hard and just see what's going to happen."
Garon won't complain, it's not in his nature.
The Oilers goaltender will always be the good soldier and do what he's told in the best interest of the team.
Admittedly, he has not taken the carrot awarded to him at the beginning of the year and run with it. Garon has struggled with a 3-4 record with a 3.67 goals against average and a .881 save percentage.
Those numbers won't get a chance to improve until he gets back in net, which, depending on what happens tonight, could be some time.
Dwayne Roloson has mostly played well in the starts he has been given. He, too, has been the good solider despite losing his starting job a year ago, beginning this season as the No. 2 guy and being the talk of trade speculation.
In five starts, Roloson has a 2-2-1 record with a 2.78 goals against average and a .915 save percentage. He's been idle even longer, not having played since losing 5-4 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 5.
With Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers having lost 5-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, the Oilers are now in the unenviable situation of going into tonight's game with a starting goaltender who has given up five goals in his previous outing, regardless of who gets the call.
"Nobody feels based on the game (Thursday) night that it was the goalie's fault," MacTavish said. "I think it was a pretty collective effort with a few exceptions."
Regardless, after 16 games nothing has been resolved. The goaltending carousel keeps revolving with every loss, similar to the way it did back in the 2005-06 season when the madness was finally put to an end with the acquisition of Roloson.
The three-goaltender situation is not good for anybody, and unfortunately there is not much the Oilers can do about it, with the exception of anointing a guy and going with him regardless. The two good, one bad routine is not going to get the team the consistency it desires.
"With three goalies it's always tough," Garon said. "If you go and give five games to one guy, then the other two are going to be sitting for a long time. I don't know. I don't know what's the plan, I don't know anything. I'm just going keep practising hard and wait for my next game."
