SEATTLE — It's 2:19. Do you know where your goalie is?
Down two goals, he could have suddenly noticed the top power-play guys are on the ice in front of him. He's sneaking glances toward the bench, waiting for that wave from the coach. Off he lumbers, quickly as possible in all those pads, so an extra forward can hop on the ice while his net remains eerily, and invitingly, empty.
He also could have settled in on the bench some time ago, reflective of a relatively new shift in the NHL. Teams that are trailing late in games are pulling their goalies earlier than in previous years, hoping to increase the chance that the extra skater can help erase a deficit.
