Compile a list of the top goalies in the NHL and his name will rarely appear on it. Dwayne Roloson is used to that after a long career spent fighting for playing time, let alone recognition. But the 41-year-old is not to be underestimated, either.
No, the numbers he put up for the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning in 54 games this season aren’t crazy (.914 save percentage, 2.59 goals-against average). But Roloson is more than capable of ending the Capitals’ season when the Lightning face Washington in the Eastern Conference semifinals beginning Friday night at Verizon Center. He stopped 243 of 256 shots by the Penguins in Tampa Bay’s come-from-behind series victory in the first round, including a 36-save shutout in Game 7 on Wednesday. Just five years ago, Roloson caught fire while with the Edmonton Oilers, leading that team to three series wins and the Stanley Cup Finals before being injured in Game 1 of the championship round.
Recommended Stories
“I think [Roloson has] been really good,” Caps center Nicklas Backstrom said. “You can see he was the player of the game [in Game 7 against Pittsburgh]. That’s the kind of things you need in a hot goalie. I think we need to do the same thing we did with [Rangers goalie Henrik] Lundqvist — a lot of traffic in front of the net and try to shoot for rebounds.”
The Lightning acquired Roloson on Jan. 1 to shore up their shaky goalie situation. He was solid during the regular season, starting 34 of Tampa Bay’s final 43 games. But it is in big games in which Roloson has made his reputation. He is now 6-0 when starting an elimination game for his team. Not bad for a late-bloomer who went undrafted out of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell in 1994 and is on his sixth team. He made his NHL debut with the Calgary Flames in 1996 at age 27. The Caps have had their fill of Roloson already this season. He posted two shutouts against Washington in January and has stopped 141 of 148 shots on goal in five meetings.
