NET QUESTION

Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle is fond of saying that it’s a “cat-and-mouse game” when matching up against other coaches.

Two years into his first NHL coaching job, Carlyle also isn’t above playing a little cat-and-mouse with the media in regard to the prickly subject of who his starting goaltender will be.

The same rule applies whether it’s an exhibition or tonight’s Game 2 of the Western Conference quarterfinals against the Minnesota Wild.

Carlyle isn’t going to say who he will put in the net and no amount of questioning is going to make him budge.

“Next question,” was his response Thursday to the opening inquiry into who will start: Ilya Bryzgalov or Jean-Sebastien Giguere. When asked if he knew which goalie would start, Carlyle said only, ‘Yeah.’ ”

Reporters aren’t the only ones left in the dark. The two goalies themselves often aren’t told until the morning of the game or, in some cases, that afternoon.

When asked if Carlyle reveals more to them, Giguere said, “Not much more. Believe me. Not much more.

“It doesn’t matter. You’ve got to get used to the coach’s way of coaching. Some coaches will tell you two weeks in advance when you’re playing and some guys will tell you the morning of. At the end of the day, it shouldn’t matter.”

Carlyle on Thursday sought to make clear that Giguere didn’t lose his job. The veteran goalie has had only two practices under him over a six-day period while attending to his infant son, Maxime, who was born with a deformed right eye.

“I think that’s awfully premature to make that kind of assumption,” Carlyle said. “To say he’s a 36-game winner in the regular season that lost his job because he didn’t play the first game of the playoffs due to family reasons. I wouldn’t do that.”

Throughout the season, Carlyle referred to his two goalies as a “1A and a 1B,” only never shared who was which.

“Both of them have won us hockey games,” Carlyle said.

The fact is the Ducks’ goaltending situation, outside of suiting up Martin Brodeur, Dominik Hasek or Roberto Luongo, is an enviable one.

“At this moment, we have great confidence in both goalies,” Ducks captain Scott Niedermayer said. “A different time, if that wasn’t the case, then maybe it does matter. But I don’t think it matters right now.”

Carlyle has always said it was his prerogative to keep the answer to himself so that the opposition was left to wonder and had to prepare for two goalies.

On Thursday, Bryzgalov, who started Game 1 and made 24 saves in the Ducks’ 2-1 victory, wondered aloud over all the fuss.

“Why is it so important to know who is the starting goaltender?” the second-year player asked. “Why do you ask this question every year? Same thing. We don’t know. We just know on game day who plays.”

The only possible clue -- though it’s no guarantee -- can be found at the warm-up, since the starting goaltender leads his team onto the ice. Carlyle is known to chide reporters for not being present if they really want to know.

“He never really tells us until the pre-game skate,” said Giguere, who was 36-10-8 this season with a 2.26 goals-against average. “And we’re not allowed to tell you guys. I kind of got used to doing the same routine no matter what. It’s not like I’m going to go out and get drunk if I don’t play.

“You’ve got to be ready at this time of the year. You can’t mess around with your preparation.”

eric.stephens@latimes.com