There’s no comparing Martin Brodeur’s career with Jose Theodore’s NHL tenure. One is a once-in-a-generation talent, while the other is a successful starter, but not a legend. Still, there have been some similarities between the two in this series.
Both are in the twilight of their careers and with capable backups that have threatened to steal the spotlight in this playoff run.
After Theodore and Brodeur both looked bad in Game 3, the Devils decided to stick with Brodeur, while the Panthers benched Theodore in favor of Scott Clemmensen. The result was that Clemmensen struggled while Brodeur posted his record-setting 24th career postseason shutout.
Florida decided to go back to Theodore on Saturday and like Brodeur before him, Theodore rewarded his team for his second chance. Theodore kicked out 30 shots to lead the Panthers’ to a 3-0 victory. It was only Theodore’s second career playoff shutout, which says all you really need to about the gap between these two men when it comes to their respective marks on hockey history.
Still, while no one is likely to say that Theodore has had the better career, he might prove to be the better goaltender in this series.