OILERS ARE WILD ABOUT ROLOSON GOALIE DOMINANT ON NEW TEAM.

Byline: RICH HAMMOND  Staff Writer

For three-plus seasons, Dwayne Roloson was a member of the Minnesota twins, the on ice-version.

Starting in 2001, one year after the inception of the Minnesota Wild, and ending in March, Roloson and Manny Fernandez split time in goal, almost on a 50-50 basis. The situation was mentally tough for the two goalies and ultimately unsuccessful, since the Wild has reached the playoffs just once.

Roloson's Wild days are over, though, and he couldn't be happier in his new home after Minnesota staked its near future to Fernandez and traded Roloson, whose contract expires this summer, to the Oilers.

Free from the constraints of splitting goaltending duties, Roloson has thrived in Edmonton. He endured a bumpy start, as he adjusted to his defensemen and their quirks, but Roloson arguably has been the most consistent goalie in the playoffs, and he has Edmonton in position to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Oilers host the Mighty Ducks in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals tonight, and unless the Ducks can crack Roloson, who has stopped 64 of 66 shots so far, the series won't last much longer.

``He's given us consistent, top-level goaltending each and every night,'' Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish said. ``You almost expect an off game at times, but he's just right on top of his game.

``The thing I like about his game and the level he's at right now is you know it's going to have to be a spectacular shot, whether it's a screen or a deflection, it's going to have to be a great shot to beat him.''

Roloson has a 2.01 goals- against average in these playoffs, but lest anyone mock the Wild for letting him walk away, the Oilers paid a steep price -- a first-round draft pick -- for this 36-year-old free agent to be.

The time was right for the Wild to make a move. For four seasons, Roloson and Fernandez thrived in tandem, but neither succeeded or failed enough to force an end to the goalie rotation. This year, with teams looking for an upgrade in goal, the Wild chose to deal Roloson instead of 31-year-old Fernandez.

Roloson also served as a backup in Calgary and Buffalo in 1996-2000 and his strong performances in the playoffs have led many to question why none of those teams have made him an unquestioned No. 1 goalie.

``You would have to ask the scouts and the GMs that question,'' Roloson said. ``It's always nice to get that chance to play. I think as a goalie that's what you want. You want to play, and you want to play all the time. I think if you didn't want that, then you wouldn't being playing goalie. It was great to get traded here.''

Before the trade, the Oilers tried Ty Conklin, Jussi Markkanen and Michael Morrison in goal, and all three proved to be mediocre at best. Roloson changed that, although not immediately.

Edmonton lost its first three games with Roloson, as he allowed a total of 13 goals, but down the stretch Roloson shined. Edmonton earned seven points in its last six games and Roloson allowed 10 goals.

``If you look at all facets, rebound control, he's certainly feeling a lot more comfortable in there with us,'' Oilers defenseman Chris Pronger said. ``I think now he's adjusted to, and we've adjusted to him, as to how we play.''

He's also a pretty big obstacle for the Ducks. After Sunday's Game 2, Ducks coach Randy Carlyle did some mild complaining about Roloson, telling reporters that the goalie was ``acrobatic'' in order to draw interference penalties and shook off his helmet at opportune times to draw a stoppage in play.

Is Roloson getting in the Ducks' heads? He's certainly getting on the stat sheet, and not just for saves. Roloson already has two assists in this series, including a memorable pass to center ice in Game 1.

So while the Wild might not totally have appreciated what it had in Roloson, the Oilers sure do.

``The numbers were there,'' MacTavish said of Roloson's stint in Minnesota, ``and we saw a veteran guy, a guy that had been to the conference finals (in 2003).''

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Dwayne Roloson (35) of the Edmonton Oilers makes a save on a breakaway shot by Chris Kunitz of the Mighty Ducks.

Harry How/Getty Images

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NHL PLAYOFFS