Last shot wins as goaltending porous in Eastby Shawn Sillinger Brodeur the exception As the NHL's regular season wound down there was much discussion about the lack of playoff experience owned by the goaltenders on the Eastern Conference contenders. So, several days into the playoffs, how has the netminding held up on the East's teams? In short, not great. Half the teams - the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes - have already had to make goalie changes, either during games or between games, while a couple other keepers have had shaky outings. Let's take a look at each of the four Eastern series, and examine how well the goalies have been doing their jobs. (1) Ottawa vs. (8) Tampa Bay (Senators hold 2-1 series lead) It was a case of no Hasek, no problem for the Senators in Game 1 on Friday night, as Ray Emery allowed only one goal on 36 shots in a 4-1 Ottawa victory. Bolts counterpart John Grahame was peppered with 37 shots, and allowed three goals. Emery was named the game's first star, while Grahame picked up a third-star selection in the loss. That goaltending battle wasn't duplicated in Game 2, as Emery was lit up for four goals on 36 shots in a 4-3 Tampa Bay victory. Grahame wasn't as sharp either, allowing three goals on just 24 shots. Needless to say, neither goalie was named a star of the game. Game 3 on Tuesday night saw Grahame get shellacked, allowing three goals in the first period and another two in the second before giving way to backup Sean Burke. The Sens pumped three more goals past Burke in the 8-4 win. Emery gave up only one goal on 30 shots through the first two periods, but allowed three goals in a spotty final frame. (2) Carolina vs. (7) Montreal (Canadiens hold 2-0 series lead) Hurricanes goaltender Martin Gerber made like swiss cheese in Game 1 on Saturday night, giving up six goals on just 21 shots versus the Canadiens. His counterpart, Cristobal Huet, was named the game's first star after allowing only one goal on 43 shots in the victory. Despite Gerber's woes, the Canes made him the starter again in Game 2. And that was a decision Carolina would quickly regret. Gerber allowed three first-period goals on 13 shots before getting pulled in favor of backup Cam Ward. The rookie blanked the Habs in the second period, but allowed two goals in the third period and another in overtime as the Canes lost 6-5. Huet wasn't as sharp for Montreal in Game 2, allowing five goals in the second and third periods, but he did make 16 saves in overtime. (3) New Jersey vs. (6) NY Rangers (Devils hold 2-0 series lead) In no series is there a bigger experience gap in net than this one, with veteran Martin Brodeur up against rookie Henrik Lundqvist. Game 1 on Saturday went easily to the Devils, with the steady Brodeur allowing only one goal on 30 shots, and Lundqvist giving up six goals (including three goals in third period) on the same number of shots. Would Lundqvist bounce back for Game 2? We'll never know, because the Rangers went with Kevin Weekes instead to try and tie up the series. Weekes, though, allowed two first-period goals, and four goals overall on 25 shots in another Rangers loss. Brodeur continued to cruise, giving up a single, third-period goal on 26 shots in the win. (4) Buffalo vs. (5) Philadelphia (Sabres hold 2-0 series lead) The Flyers threw goaltender Robert Esche to the wolves in Game 1 on Saturday, as their defense gave up 58 shots on the netminder in the double-overtime game. Esche responded with 55 saves, but Daniel Briere's OT winner got past him and gave the Sabres a 1-0 series lead. And while Esche was named the game's second star, Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller stopped 30 of 32 shots and picked up the victory in the opener. So what would Esche do for an encore? Close to nothing. The Flyers goalie gave up five goals on 10 shots in the first period of Game 2, and was yanked in favor of Antero Niittymaki. The Sabres then got three more past the Finn on 18 shots to win by an 8-2 margin. Miller allowed two goals on 22 shots in the win, which put his team up 2-0; his job is secure in net for now, while the Flyers have a decision to make before Game 3. Click here to see tonight's NHL odds. Comments or Questions? Email FaceOff@BetUS.com.  --- by BetUSradio at 1800-sports.com on April 26, 2006
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