Martin Brodeur has been through it all before. He’s had series where he’s had to do minimal work and others where he’s a virtual whirling dervish. When it comes to his upcoming series against the Philadelphia Flyers, he knows that he’s going to need to be ready for anything, especially the physical side of things.
Rich Chere of The Star-Ledger hears it from Brodeur that he’s ready for what the Flyers throw at him and that includes bodies as well as pucks.
“They’re a team that goes to the net hard. If you look at some of the goals they scored (against the Penguins), they had guys diving for free pucks right through (goalie Marc-Andre) Fleury. That’s hockey. That’s playoff hockey,” Brodeur told me.
Expect the Flyers to keep doing the same unless the Devils’ defensemen and forwards can buckle down and prevent the net-crashing party. Considering the array of players Philly has that are adept around the net, Brodeur could be in for some trouble if his defense falters. With guys like Danny Briere, Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell, and Jaromir Jagr all mixing it up, the Devils defense will need to be stiff to counteract the Flyers attack.