[Cali Panthers Fan]

I voted Hiller/Ortio before, I do it here again. Here are my reasons:

Hiller: The most consistent of the three, you know what you get with Hiller and it helps the defensemen anticipate how to defend easier. Inconsistency and erratic play from a goalie is the most difficult thing for a defender to deal with. He's a solid blocking goalie that does a good job of absorbing anything above the pads, but he can let rebounds out into the slot sometimes, and often gets beat over his shoulders. However, most shots are low enough that he stops them, so I don't sweat the odd shot beating him over the shoulder. Stats back him up too, with a very good GAA and a decent Save % last year.

Ramo: Has good to great stretches for fairly long periods of time, but when he loses his game, he loses it completely. Those poor stretches can last a few weeks at a time too, making him almost unreliable as a backup. However, he's athletic and will almost always stop the first shot, but often finds himself out of position. This is problematic because, like Hiller, he also has a tendency to let rebounds out into the slot, especially when he's moving around a lot. When he's quiet in his crease, he's nearly unbeatable, and can single-handedly steal you games, but the problem is he's rarely at that level. Ramo has a full spectrum of play from AHL level goalie to elite #1 starter. My problem with him is you never know which version of Ramo you will get. He's almost 30, so he's not likely to change much going forward. He is what he is at this point: A guy that can be brilliant and terrible.

Ortio: Sample size is small, but he's had the most impressive showings in the NHL. However, he's also had a couple of pretty poor games where he's lost the plot, which inflate his numbers. He's been dominant in the AHL, which is no small feat. Ortio has proven himself over and over in the AHL, but he's also had issues with slow starts to a season. What I like about him is he's just coming into his own, and if he reached his potential he could be a #1 starter in the league. From what I've seen, his game translates to the NHL, but he needs consistent playing time, at least as a backup, so maybe 20-30 games. It's time for him to get that opportunity, mostly because he'll be picked up if he goes on waivers.

Hiller-55 games, Ortio 25 games. That's the way I'd like to see it for the rest of the year.