One giant record broken, the other wobbling. They should attach the replacement netting to Martin Brodeur’s goal cage with Velcro, just to save us all time.
“I think it’s going to be this year,” Devils center Travis Zajac said of the timetable for Brodeur breaking Terry Sawchuk’s 40-year-old NHL record of 103 shutouts.
Fresh from one successful record chase, Brodeur started his second hunt of the month with his fifth shutout in 20 starts this season and the 101st of his career, a 4-0 triumph over the Wild in Newark last night.
“It could be a long time if you guys are going to start that [hoopla],” the Gretzky of Goalies warned.
“My boys were boxing guys out,” Brodeur said. “[Shutouts] are just the commitment of an organization, the team I play for.”
On Tuesday, Brodeur broke Patrick Roy’s NHL record for career victories, then cut the net from the goal cage with scissors. They had to break out a new goal cage last night, while the one Brodeur cut up remained partially re-strung behind the Zamboni entrance.
With two goals last night, Patrik Elias raised his Devils’ career scoring record to 705 points. Brian Gionta and Johnny Oduya also scored. The team has 11 games left and needs three victories for its first-ever 50-win season.
In their chase for a fifth Eastern Conference title, the Devils pulled within three points of the first-place Bruins, with a game in hand, and can close the gap to one in tomorrow afternoon’s Showdown in Beantown.
The victory was the Devils’ team-record 11th straight at home. The Devils have gone 24-7 since Jan. 8 and run away from the Atlantic Division.
Whew. They’d like the playoffs to start now.
“Fun, isn’t it?” Mike Mottau asked.
Devils 4 Wild 0