Dan Cloutier probably didn't sleep too well Sunday night. Then again, Cloutier's puckstopping colleagues Jose Theodore, Jocelyn Thibault and Arturs Irbe likely didn't have a restful night, either.

	Dan Cloutier had no problem stopping Sergei Fedorov's shots. Nik Lidstrom's attempt from center ice was another matter.

The four goaltenders, all of whom enjoyed early first-round success, each found themselves sweeping some bad goals out their nets on Sunday. And, as a result, their teams found themselves on the losing side of the scoreboard.

Such is life for goaltenders in the Stanley Cup playoffs. One day, you're the postseason-saving hero. The next day, you're the guy who lost the big game.

Of the four unlucky goaltending losers on Sunday, though, Cloutier was left with the most to think about.

The Canucks' netminder, who turns 26 today, whiffed on a center-ice slapper off the stick of Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom with just 24.6 seconds remaining in the second period. (Maybe those Motown fans who were chanting "shoot the puck" at the Joe on Friday knew a little more than we all thought.) Lidstrom's long-distance goal, which seemed to suck every ounce of air out of GM Place, snapped a 1-1 tie and helped revive the seemingly dead Wings, who regained their playoff pulse with a nasty 3-1 win.

The heavily-favored Red Wings, who won the Presidents' Trophy and adorn the cover of the current issue of ESPN The Magazine, now can even the hard-hitting series at 2 with a victory in Game 4 at Vancouver on Tuesday.

The game will be a major test for the baby-faced Cloutier, who'll have to put his "whiff" behind him in the biggest game of his young career. Luckily, Cloutier has what every goalie needs: a strong support group.

General manager Brian Burke acquired the unproven Cloutier from the Lightning on Feb. 7, 2001, with the intention of making him the Canucks' starting goaltender. And, through some rocky moments, Burke has never wavered in his support.

The same can be said for head coach Marc Crawford, who used Cloutier in a career-high 62 regular-season games. Cloutier responded with 31 wins and a franchise single-season record seven shutouts.

Expect both Burke and Crawford to make strong public statements in support of their goalie in the coming days. Privately, both will reassure Cloutier of his place and importance within the team.

Also, Cloutier can turn to longtime NHL goalie Andy Moog, who serves as the club's goaltending consultant and mentor. Moog can share some of his own playoff war stories with Cloutier, who has improved greatly with the help of the Stanley Cup-winning stopper.

But Cloutier needs only to look at the other end of the rink for a glowing example of how to rebound from a tough outing.

Detroit's all-world goalie Dominik Hasek, who seemed lost in the first two games of the series, bounced back big-time in Game 3. Hasek kept his team in the game during the second period, when the Wings found themselves killing off several consecutive penalties.

Then, after the Wings' received their gift goal, the Dominator closed it out, making several huge third period stops to lock down the win. Among the highlights was a penalty shot stop against Canucks star Todd Bertuzzi (who, by the way, turned in another monster performance) and a diving rebound save to rob Ed Jovanovski in the final minutes.

If Cloutier can rebound from adversity like his more decorated and experienced opponent, the Canucks will have a great chance to complete the upset. If not, it'll be a long offseason of sleepless nights.

E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.