"It almost is comical asking Dwayne Roloson if certain circumstances affect his emotions or focus on the ice.

Any scenario presented elicits the same deadpan response.

It's no surprise, then, that the Lightning goaltender brushed off the idea he faces added pressure heading into tonight's first-round playoff opener with the Penguins at Consol Energy Center.

"There's no added focus at all," he said. "Me trying too hard is not going to help our team win. When you try too hard, the puck usually ends up in your net. Just go out and focus on what you have to do and be ready to play when you get the opportunity."

Roloson is fudging.

Whether he admits it or not, goalie is the most important position during the playoffs, when teams can ride a hot one to places no one expected.

Roloson lived that in 2006, when, as a trade-deadline acquisition, he led the Oilers, the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, to the Stanley Cup final.

A knee injury in Game 1 ended his season, and Edmonton lost in seven games to the Hurricanes. But the experience cemented Roloson's tendency toward understated intensity.

"The biggest thing I took out of it was once the game was over, you forget about it right away," he said. "It's over. You can't do anything about it. The quicker you get to that realization, the better."

That is not indifference. "He wants to win," defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron said.

"He likes to practice hard and doesn't take anything for granted. He's a good leader on this team.""