New Jersey Devils in Stanley Cup finals
Martin Brodeur, No. 30 of the New Jersey Devils, looks on after making a save against the New York Rangers in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Prudential Center on May 25, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey.
New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, 40, made 33 saves Friday night to help his team defeat rivals the New York Rangers 3-2 in overtime in Game 6 to advance to the NHL Stanley Cup finals against the Los Angeles Kings.
Brodeur, who is entering the final year of his contract and was expecting this to be his last hurrah, didn't expect it to be the grand hurrah it has turned out to be, according to the Associated Press. After the Devils missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 1996, Brodeur was put under the microscope after a so-so season because of injuries.
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Now at 40, Brodeur made save after save straight into sudden-death overtime, where Adam Henrique put the puck past Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist after a scramble in front of the net, reported Reuters. It had looked like it would be an easy win for the Devils after first-period goals by Ryan Carter and Ilya Kovalchuk gave the team a 2-0 lead, but New Jersey let it slip and had to play catch up hockey toward the end of the game.
The series-winning goal was even sweeter, since it came against the Devils' biggest rivals, according to the Huffington Post.
"That one was like Christmas," said Henrique, who also scored the series winner in the Devils' first-round win over the Florida Panthers.
According to Reuters, the Devils will face off with the Kings in the Stanley Cup finals best-of-seven series starting this Wednesday in New Jersey.