Oilers Confront Unknown

Dwayne Roloson felt his right knee pop when he was knocked down and wedged against the goalpost late in the third period on Monday, but when he took stock of his limbs, his left elbow hurt the most.

And so when trainer Ken Lowe asked what ailed him, Roloson first mentioned the elbow. His leg was almost an afterthought -- until he dropped to his knees and spread his pads outward, as if to stop a low shot.

“It felt great standing up, but as soon as I went down in a butterfly my leg went to the right and there was nothing there. I had no control over it,” he said.

Roloson, the foundation of the Oilers’ springtime success, said doctors told him he has a third-degree sprain of the medial collateral ligament, the most severe kind. Wearing a brace on his knee and tape on his hyper-extended left elbow during a news conference Tuesday at the RBC Center, he ruled out returning during the Stanley Cup finals.

However, he said it would be foolish to say that the Oilers are also done, even though they must ask little-used backups Jussi Markkanen and Ty Conklin to stop the Carolina Hurricanes tonight and for the rest of the series.

“That’s the falsest statement that you can probably make, if falsest is a word,” said Roloson.

“This team has always rallied around adversity. It’s a team that takes adversity and uses it to better themselves.... I’m sure the guys are going to be rallying and doing whatever it takes to win hockey games.

“The spirit in our room hasn’t changed.”

But the quality of their goaltending is another matter.

Conklin, a 30-year-old native of Eagle River, Alaska, was waived by the Oilers in February and assigned to the minor leagues in early March. Before his relief stint on Monday, he hadn’t played since April 17. His rustiness showed when he fumbled the puck and gave Rod Brind’Amour an empty net in which to deposit the decisive goal in Carolina’s 5-4 victory.

“I had some difficult times this year, obviously,” said Conklin, who was 8-5-1 with a 2.80 goals-against average and .880 save percentage in 18 games this season.

“Things can turn around really quick, with this opportunity and this situation.”

Markkanen, a 31-year-old Finn, was traded by the Oilers to the New York Rangers in 2003 and was reacquired a year later. He last played on March 1 and last won a game on Jan. 25, at Anaheim against the Mighty Ducks. He was 15-12-6 with a 3.13 goals-against average and .880 save percentage in 37 games.

“I haven’t played for a long time, but I played a lot of hockey early and I feel it’s a great chance to play in the Stanley Cup finals. We are here and this is no time to look back,” said Markkanen, who started 15 straight games and 17 of 18 in October and November and was 7-9-1 in that span.

“I know I can play in this league and I’m pretty honored to be on this team and be where we are now. If it’s going to be me, I’m just going to enjoy it and try to relax and have fun.”

Oilers Coach Craig MacTavish wouldn’t say who would start tonight. But he ruled out practice goalie Floyd Whitney, whose son, Carolina forward Ray Whitney, scored twice on Monday. “Ray would go from two goals in a game to six, and that’s with Floyd trying,” MacTavish said, laughing.

His apparent good humor is part of his plan to make the best of a dire situation.

“I fully expect us to play a terrific game tomorrow and get back to even and get it back to Edmonton,” MacTavish said. “You never win a Stanley Cup without overcoming some adversity along the way, and so far to this point, we haven’t had to overcome a lot. We haven’t faced an elimination game so far, and normally that’s not the case.

“This is our test right now.”