The goalie sat in his stall, talking in hushed tones, lamenting the rebounds that got away, how he had to be better for his team in the next game. And that was in the winning dressing room. Welcome to the new NHL, Ryan Miller. Thirteen pucks found their way into the spaces behind Miller in the Buffalo Sabres crease and fellow rookie goaltender Ray Emery in the Ottawa Senators net. "It was just one of those nights," said Emery, beaten seven times on just 23 shots, the 23rd coming just 18 seconds into overtime to give the Sabres a 1-0 lead in an incredible start to the Eastern Conference semi-final.

Both teams are understandable proud of their young goalies, but it seems very doubtful that either Ryan Miller or Ray Emery is capable of carrying a team to a Stanley Cup. A harsh, knee-jerk judgment after one game? Maybe. But the goaltending at both ends was that bad last night. Statistically, it was one of the worst combined efforts in NHL playoff history. So, if either team does emerge as the big winner when this tournament is over, it will be likely because they were successful at camouflaging their primary vulnerability.