Starting goaltenders battling fatigue as playoffs loom

Behind the mask is a mind filled with a web of a thousand thoughts, worries and a singular focus of what it takes to win a game.

Then the next game, then the one after that.

"There is no shut-off for a goaltender," retired goalie Brian Boucher said. "The mind doesn't shut off."

A starting NHL goaltender bears a burden unlike any position in hockey and few others in sports, and the resulting pressure builds up over the course of a season. By this time of year, with the playoffs on the horizon, No. 1 goalies have grinded through almost six months of work and are battling fatigue that threatens to derail their team's hopes.