"Last night, goaltenders Andrew Raycroft and Steve Mason found themselves in the same position - sitting on the bench in Nationwide Arena, donning baseball caps instead of masks.

The Dallas Stars' Raycroft, more than many in the sport, also knows the difficult spot Mason finds himself in. Like Raycroft, Mason is still trying to measure up to the standard he set his rookie season.

"I started dwelling on things beyond my control," said Raycroft, who was the NHL rookie of the year in 2004. "I started thinking about all the responsibility that was on me. You start overthinking and second-guessing things."

Playing for his fifth NHL franchise, Raycroft has settled into a backup's role. The 30-year-old has been a full-time starter only once since a disastrous sophomore season (2005-06) with the Boston Bruins, the team with which he won the Calder Trophy.

He can empathize with Mason, a third-year goalie whose recent struggles are beginning to mirror his play from a season ago. Mason has been pulled from three of his past four starts and an NHL-high 12 times since the start of last season.

"It's tougher as a goalie because there is so much more responsibility put on you," said Raycroft, who has a 108-104-27 record. "Once I was given the ball (in his second season), I lost sight of the fact the game is still about having fun.

"You worry about what the penalty kill is doing and what kind of defensive zone coverage we have and things that have zero bearing on you stopping pucks. It happens to everybody, but it's harder on a young kid. As you get older, you realize it's just hard work every day."

Raycroft and Mason are among a cadre of young goaltenders - think Grant Fuhr, Tom Barrasso, Cam Ward, Carey Price - who regressed after initial success. It's how one reacts to adversity, Raycroft said, that determines whether he will make it in the NHL.

Raycroft believes his wandering focus was directly related to his work habits. Mason acknowledged having similar issues a season ago."