Martin Brodeur has shined throughout
his career even when the Devils have
not lit up the scoreboard for him.
Martin Brodeur’s shutout count is at 91 and climbing as he heads inexorably toward Terry Sawchuk’s record of 103. And while he’s gotten a lot of defensive help from his New Jersey teammates, he’s done a great job making the most of limited offensive support.

Brodeur has recorded 44 of his 91 shutouts in games where he’s received two goals or less of offensive support: He’s played in two 0-0 ties, won 1-0 games 18 times and 2-0 games 24 times — although six of those were 1-0 games in which the Devils scored into an empty net. Eighteen of his shutouts were 3-0 wins and another 18 were by 4-0 — only 11 were by more than four goals.

It’s defensively where the Devils have really helped Brodeur.

The future Hall of Famer has made 40 or more saves in a shutout just once in his career: on Jan. 28, 1999, when he stopped exactly 40 in a 2-0 victory at Boston. In contrast, he has 20 shutouts in which he faced fewer than 20 shots — including a career low of just nine in a 3-0 home victory over Washington on Dec. 4, 2003. In 78 of his 91 shutouts, Brodeur has seen fewer than 30 shots, including each of the last 20. The last time Brodeur stopped 30 or more shots in a shutout was Dec. 13, 2003, when he rejected all 32 shots he faced in a 2-0 victory over Philadelphia. In each of his last 15 shutouts, including all 11 this season, Brodeur has faced between 22 and 29 shots.

Brodeur owns 10 shutouts over the New York Islanders, more than any other team. He’s been especially tough against the Islanders as he’s gotten older: Six of the 10 have come in the last four seasons, including three in 2006-07.

Fifty of Brodeur’s shutouts have come at the Continental Airlines Arena, where he’s saved his best work for the Devils’ local rivals. Brodeur owns six home shutouts each against the New York Rangers and Islanders. Of his 41 road shutouts, he’s had more in Ottawa than anywhere else — five, and they haven’t been easy; his teammates have scored all of seven goals (including one empty-netter) in those games (three 1-0 victories and two 2-0 wins). He’s also had four shutouts at Long Island, Philadelphia, Washington — and Montreal, his hometown.

Hat trick -- Three of Brodeur’s 11 shutouts this season have come against the Islanders, all by the same score: 2-0. He’s the first goaltender to shut out the Islanders three times in a season since Philadelphia’s Bernie Parent did it in 1973-74, the Isles’ second season.

Not much help -- Brodeur has all 38 of the Devils’ victories this season, and in half of them, including Thursday’s 3-2 shootout win over the Rangers, New Jersey scored two goals or fewer in regulation. That’s by far the most in the NHL: Vancouver is next with 10.

That win over the Rangers also gave the Devils something they’ve never had since moving to New Jersey in 1982: a home-and-home sweep of the Rangers. The Rangers swept four of the 10 previous home-and-home series, including the last one in 2005-06.

wow, thanx that changes my perspective a bit on what I had on him. he's even more a legend to me then he already was.
awesome job