The queasy feeling in my stomach started when I saw Edmonton Oilers goalie Dwayne Roloson lying on the ice after two players ran into him late in the third period of Game 1 in the Stanley Cup finals.

I can't say seeing Ty Conklin going into net against the revived Carolina Hurricanes had the same effect on me as taking Gravol.

And then seeing Conklin help create the worst Oilers goal-against in 20 years -- the Oilers lost 5-4 -- had me thinking this series could be a lot shorter than expected.

'Canes goalie Cam Ward has been comparable to Roloson. He lead Rolo in goals against average by 0.03 goals per game, but Rolo had the higher save percentage -- 0.927 vs. .919. Anything over .900 (stopping more than nine shots in 10) is pretty solid.

Frankly, I'd be surprised if Ty Conklin and Jussi Markkanen are able to step into Roloson's shoes, but I'm dying to be proven wrong.

If they can't, this series is all but done. In the NHL playoffs, so much comes down to who's got the hot goalie. Great goaltending just lifts a team and gives them the confidence to take chances.

And we saw last night what bad goaltending does. :(