The Edmonton Oilers not only lost the opening game of the NHL's Stanley Cup finals in a 5-4 heartbreaker to the Carolina Hurricanes, but they also lost their best goaltender.

In an announcement issued after Monday night's game, the Oilers said Dwayne Roloson won't be available for the rest of the playoffs.

"Our goalie's not good," said Oilers coach Craig MacTavish. "He won't be back in the series."

Roloson has played a critical role in getting the Oilers this far. He won 12 games in the NHL playoffs, was second in save percentage with .931, and had a goals-against average of 2.22.

MacTavish insisted that his team can bounce back, saying the Oilers' other two goalies -- Ty Conklin and Jussi Markkanen -- are capable of playing well.

Roloson was injured in the third period of the game, played in Raleigh, N.C. at the RBC Center. 'Canes forward Andrew Ladd carried the puck into Edmonton's end and cut towards the net.

Oiler defenceman Marc-Andre Bergeron hit Ladd from behind, driving him into Roloson with about six minutes left.

Conklin, who hadn't yet played in the playoffs, came into the game.

While he made a few good stops, Conklin mishandled the puck near the very end. The puck struck defenceman Jason Smith's stick and allowed 'Canes captain Rod Brind'Amour to come out from behind the net and wrap in the winning goal.

"I didn't make the play quickly enough," Conklin told reporters. "It's not a mistake I would normally make."

However, a bigger problem for the Oilers was allowing the 'Canes back in the game after taking a 3-0 lead.

Fernado Pisani, Ethan Moreau and Chris Pronger, who made trivia history by being the first to score on a penalty shot in a championship series, scored the first three Oiler markers. Ales Hemsky scored the fourth, breaking in towards the net from the right wing, then scoring with a backhander.

Brind'Amour had two on the night, including the game winner. The 'Canes Ray Whitney also notched two, and Justin Williams scored a short-handed goal.

'Canes netminder Cam Ward had a great night, stopping 34 of 38 Oilers shots, and keeping the game from going into overtime in the dying seconds with an amazing glove save.

Back in Edmonton, the Oilers faithful mostly stayed off the Blue Mile party strip on the city's trendy Whyte Avenue after the game ended.

The loss, combined with cloudy skies, toned down the rowdiness that has marked happier times after Oilers games.

With files from The Canadian Press