The life of an NHL goalie is not an easy ride. This week's rankings will show you how a few goalies were long but forgotten members of their teams, only to find themselves now breaking into the top five.

I know that fans in Detroit have wondered where Chris Osgood has gone, but I have monitored his last 4 appearances and I am telling you he has the swagger back, at least for now. His confidence is high and is making the saves he's supposed to make and a few he's pulled out of his ear in spectacular fashion.

In San Jose, Steve Shields gave up the No. 1 spot to Evgeni Nabokov, but now wants to make it a fight as he has played well, winning 3-1 vs. Florida and tying Colorado 2-2 a week ago.

The Predators' Mike Dunham is gaining some momentum as well as he challenges Tomas Vokoun for the top spot, while Brent Johnson continues to excel in St.Louis.

Lets move on to this week's Top Five rankings!

PANGER'S TOP 5
Thibault	1. Jocelyn Thibault, Chicago Blackhawks 5 GP, 3-1-1-0, 2.36 GAA, .904 save percentage He is a terribly slow starter and that hurts his credibility as a true No. 1 goalie in the NHL. But if the past month is a true indication of how good he can be, then the Hawks won't have to go hunting for a Nikolai Khabibulin type. The Hawks are nearing .500 and this guy is the main reason. He's been named the first star in two of his last three games and third star in Sunday's 2-2 tie with Colorado. He held the fort while the Hawks came back from a 1-0 deficit after two periods in Columbus and won 3-1.
Dafoe	2. Byron Dafoe, Boston Bruins 5 GP, 3-1-1-0, 1.77 GAA, .928 save percentage The Bruins are flying high right now and we all know that when Mike Keenan has his horse going in goal he rides him until he drops. That's the case right now with Dafoe as he has played brilliantly. Dafore has won three in a row – a 4-1 victory against the Rangers (26 saves) and key wins vs. Montreal, and the Lemieux-led Penguins in front of a full house in Boston, 5-2. His play was good enough to be runner-up for NHL Player of the Week (3-0-0, 1.33 GAA, 94 save percentage). Let's hope the knee stays strong so Lord Byron can get back to the form that produced 10 shutouts two years ago.
	3. Roman Cechmanek, Philadelphia Flyers 5 GP, 4-0-1-0, 1.56 GAA, .934 save percentage He was the NHL's Player of the Week, but I placed him behind the runner up because of who he faced. Cechmanek was 3-0-0 with a tidy 1.33 GAA and an impressive 94 save percentage (just like Dafoe) against Florida, Tampa Bay and the Blues, who he beat 2-1 with 26 saves. You have to wonder what the future holds in Philly with the Lindros situation and the sophomore season of Brian Boucher. Will it be Cechmanek in the end for this team?
Lalime	4. Patrick Lalime, Ottawa Senators 5 GP, 4-1-0-0, 2.40 GAA, .917 save percentage I have taken a 4-1 loss at Edmonton (only 18 saves) and disregarded it as he was super in his previous three games, two of which were on the road. He has taken over the ship in Ottawa, where they don't get enough respect as it is on the U.S. side of the NHL. I am not sure if he is the answer in a seven-game series, let alone four of them, but for the time being his play has to be commended. The best of his three wins was the 38-save performance at Calgary in a 5-2 victory.
Essensa	5. Bob Essensa, Vancouver Canucks 5 GP, 4-0-0-0, 1.87 GAA, .925 save percentage It's not often a backup (I always hated that phrase) gets the nod in the top five, largely because they don't play enough games in a five-game segment, but the "X-man" has been great. He has taken over for the Cat by winning his last three starts and was named a star in all three games. He beat Calgary 5-1, Edmonton 3-2 and the Predators 2-1 in three key games for the playoff-bound Canucks.

Darren Pang is a hockey analyst for ESPN.