So far, so good in Atlanta where Byron Dafoe has been a strong presence in net. He has won two of his three starts since pulling on a Thrashers sweater, including a 5-4 win over his buddy Olie Kolzig and the Washington Capitals, during which he earned second-star honors. Never underestimate how important it is to have an even-keeled leader in the net to settle things down when things get a little crazy out there.

Congratulations to Chicago-area native (Park Ridge, Ill.) Craig Andersson, who became just the second goaltender in Blackhawks history to play a game for his hometown team. He gave up three goals in the first eight minutes at Anaheim before settling down and finishing strong in the 3-2 loss. Chicago-born Bob Janecyk played eight games for the Hawks in 1983-84, before being traded to L.A. for the draft pick that they used to select Chicago-born forward Ed Olczyk.

The Penguins are getting strong goaltending from a forgotten man -- Jean-Sebastein Aubin. He has started four of the last six games, going 2-2-0 while being named third star in consecutive wins over San Jose and Philly. Johan Hedberg won his last two starts , stopping 79 of 81 shots. They will both be called upon this month, as the Penguins play 15 games in 28 days, including a five-game trip that starts in Toronto and ends in Phoenix.

Brent Johnson will be returning to the Blues' net soon. He's been assigned to Worcester the American Hockey League for a week of conditioning and is expected to play two games with the IceCats. If all goes well -- and there's no reason to expect it wouldn't -- look for Fred Brathwaite to be moved.

Let's get to the top five rankings:

Salo	5. Tommy Salo, Edmonton Oilers 5 GP, 4-0-1, 0.79 GAA, .969 save percentage He's back on track and not a game too soon for the Oilers. The strong Swede was best remembered last year for the goal he gave up against Belarus in the Olympics. He had a tough time rebounding from that, but his strength has always been his resilience. He was the 1st star in the 1-0 game vs. Colorado (22 saves) and had an easy night in the 3-1 win (15 saves) at Columbus. He also tied Detroit 1-1 (36 saves, first star) and beat Calgary 3-1 (26 saves, third star).
Lalime Prusek	4. Patrick Lalime, Ottawa Senators 5 GP, 3-0-2, 1.94 GAA, .931 save percentage and Martin Prusek, Ottawa Senators 3 GP, 3-0-0, 2.73 GAA, .912 save percentage Have you seen Prusek play? He has the same bird cage mask as Dominik Hasek wore and has the same type of style. He's very good down low and has a quick glove. This tandem has been strong, winning four and tying once in their last five games. Lalime shutout Toronto 2-0 (22 saves, second star) tied the Islanders 2-2, and beat Washington 6-2. Prusek was sterling as he beat Columbus 5-2 (35 saves, second star) and the Islanders 4-2 , making 22 saves and earning the first star.
Grahame Shields	3. John Grahame, Boston Bruins 5 GP, 4-0-1, 1.58 GAA, .950 save percentage and Steve Shields, Boston Bruins 5 GP, 4-1-0, 1.81 GAA, .934 save percentage The Bruins may have the best chemistry in the NHL right now. Joe Thornton was the NHL's Player of the Week and the goalies are on a roll. Grahame is in control right now, winning his last three starts. Shields has been just as dominant, despite starting fewer games. They have both given up just eight goals in their last five games, winning all five. Grahame beat Carolina 3-1 (23 saves, third star), Calgary 7-2, and Pittsburgh 3-2. Shields beat Buffalo 4-1 and Montreal 4-2.
Belfour	2. Ed Belfour , Toronto Maple Leafs 5 GP, 4-1-0, 1.41 GAA, .943 save percentage He's now got Leafs fans on his side, and that makes all the difference in the world for the Eagle. When there is a feeling of appreciation, he responds. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and Eddie is 4-1-0 in his last 5. He posted back to back bagels, beating Boston 2-0 and Philly 6-0, before playing well and losing 2-0 at Ottawa (29 saves). He won 5-4 at Washington, before blanking his former coach, Ken Hitchcock, and Philadelphia again, 3-0. He made 21 saves in the game and was named first star. His roll continued against the Sabres, who he beat 3-1.
Cloutier	1. Dan Cloutier, Vancouver Canucks 5 GP, 5-0-0, 1.80 GAA, .935 save percentage He is the NHL's Player of the Month ... and for good reason. He went 11-1-0 during the month -- including the team's current franchise-record 10-game winning streak -- posting a mini-me-ish 2.15 GAA and .920 save percentage. In his last five games, he has given up nine goals and was first star in two of them (which included a 22-save effort against Detroit). He went into Minny and beat them 2-1 (27 saves, third star), then continued his trek with wins at Carolina, Tampa Bay and Florida, making a combined 93 saves.

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.