How can the Atlanta Thrashers compare the risk they'd be taking in signing Byron Dafoe to their decision to spend as much money as they did on Damian Rhodes?

When they brought Rhodes in as their No. 1 guy in 1999, there wasn't an observer out there who thought it was the right thing to do. He was too inconsistent, both on the ice and off, and never proved himself to be reliable enough in Ottawa (on a good team) that would make someone thing he'd thrive in an unaided environment (on an expansion team).

I've always liked Damian as a person, but Dafoe has proven to be a very solid No. 1 goalie in many situations. Atlanta needs a presence in net to keep the morale up. The longer they wait, the worse it's going to get.

Let's move to Boston where the B's have been getting terrific goaltending from both Steve Shields and John Grahame. I was told a few weeks ago it was going to be Grahame's job to lose. He's been good since returning from his shoulder injury, going 2-0-1 in his last three games and earning the first start in his last two starts. It was great to see Shields play well against his former team, the Sabres, winning 4-3 and being named the first star. They didn't get in enough games to battle this week's top five.

You want a huge surprise in the twine? How about the outstanding play of the Panthers' Janne Hurme? He got yanked in his last start, a loss to San Jose, but he was the first star in FOUR STRAIGHT GAMES, going 1-1-2, including a tough game in Philly (a 1-1 tie with 32 saves). Looks like Roberto Luongo is ready to take back his job, but now Hurme has the much needed faith of coach Mike Keenan.

Kevin Weekes has been a rock for Carolina, going 3-1-1 in his last four games. The 'Canes aren't scoring many goals, but Kevin isn't allowing many, either.

Congrats to Stars goalie Ron Tugnutt for playing in his 500th game, a win at Montreal. I had a chance to spend some time with Tugger at Mike Modano's 1000th-game party after the Stars beat the Jackets 3-2 in OT. His 8-year-old son Jacob catches with his left and can really play goal. The other day, at an optional practice, his son dressed and did some work with goalie coach Andy Moog before facing some rink long shots from Kirk Muller. Great stuff!

Let's get to the top five rankings:

Giguere	5. Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 5 GP, 3-2-0, 1.56 GAA, .950 save percentage The fifth spot was as tough to pick as the top spot this week. (I had to leave off Jocelyn Thibault, who's been great for the Hawks.) Giguere wins because of the Ducks' tough road schedule. Both the Ducks and Giguere performed brilliantly; it was his best stretch of the season by far. He's 4-2-0 in his last six games, with losses coming in Detroit (a 2-1 loss, 43 saves, fisrt star) and in New Jersey where he made 29 saves and was the third star. He got off to a rousing start with a 3-2 win at Colorado and a shutout against Minnesota.
Cloutier	4. Dan Cloutier, Vancouver Canucks 5 GP, 4-1-0, 2.57 GAA, .906 save percentage The Canucks don't get much credit out there in the West. Cloutier has rebounded nicely from the 80-foot shot by Nicklas Lidstrom that eluded him and changed the momentum of last year's first-round playoff series against the Wings. He has won his last 4 games and was named a star in three of them. He was the first star at Phoenix, winning 5-2 (35 saves) and then beat Tom Barrasso in his Blues debut 6-3. He polished off L.A. and the Rangers, giving up only three goals combined. Now, if he would only change his mask design and look the part of a No. 1 goalie!
Denis	3. Marc Denis, Columbus Blue Jackets 5 GP, 1-3-1, 2.94 GAA, .927 save percentage It's not always about wins, that's for sure. Marc's play is very worthy of being No. 3, as he showed Sunday night in Dallas on ESPN2. He gives the Jackets a chance to win every game, though they continue to be out shot (in his last six games he's averaged 36 saves). More stunning is the fact they are giving up so many late-period and end-of-game goals. The key has been Denis' ability to stave off opponents in the first, like he has done against Dallas in two games this year. He has started every game so far, and may get a break this weekend. There are some goalies right now that don't see many chances, not Denis. He made 39 saves in the OT loss at Dallas and 33 in the 1-1 draw at Nashville (first star). He was spectacular in the 5-4 loss at Colorado, when he made 46 saves. He wasn't named a star in the game. Recount, anyone?
Turco	2. Marty Turco, Dallas Stars 5 GP, 4-1-0, 1.08 GAA, .917 save percentage The Stars are a pretty special group of players and the very confident Turco is a big reason why. The players know they have something good going in Dallas. Don't think for a minute that just because they are scoring more goals they have simply tossed aside the defensive aspect of the game. They are doing many of the things they were doing before, and Turco is providing timely saves, like the key pokecheck against Geoff Sanderson on Sunday when they were trailing 2-1. He's won his last three games, giving up only five goals in the process. He beat Colorado (4-2) and Washington (6-1), but toughest was facing former partner Ed Belfour and the Maple Leafs in Dallas. Turco beat him 2-1 and was named the third star.
Khabibulin	1. Nikolai Khabibulin, Tampa Bay Lightning 5 GP, 4-1-0, 1.76 GAA, .933 save percentage The NHL's player of the week gets the No. 1 spot after winning his last three games. Because the Lightning have been giving up a few more quality chances than they were earlier in the season, he has begun to be the difference maker that we have become accustomed to seeing. He was terrific in a tough Southeast Division matchup at Carolina, making 35 saves and earning first-star honors in the 2-1 OT win. He also beat San Jose (4-2, 27 saves) and Phoenix 4-2 before losing to the Hawks, 3-2, at home. The Southeast had been a joke the past few years, but that isn't the case this season. Keep in mind that the top three teams in the division boast quality goaltenders, Khabibulin, Weekes and Olaf Kolzig. All three could make the playoffs with the way things are going.

Darren Pang, a former goaltender with the Chicago Blackhawks, is a hockey analyst for ESPN. His goalie rankings appear every other week in Net Effect.