NEWARK -- Devils goalie Martin Brodeur figures he's still evolving as a goaltender even though he has nearly 1,200 regular-season, some 200 postseason games and three Stanley Cups behind him. He has played better during the playoffs than he had in recent years.
Brodeur, 40, said this afternoon that a shift in equipment has improved his movement around the crease. He's always worn pads that were well below the specifications and for years has been an advocate of smaller pads for all goalies in an effort to increase scoring.
"I changed the makeup of where my knee sits," Brodeur said of his pads. "I changed the size of them. I got them a little bigger, a little wider – within the rules, I promise. I still have a lot of room to get them bigger. It’s a couple of little things. All year, I was tweaking them. It’s been working out good.
"They’re still small, trust me, compared to other guys. I still have a lot of room to wiggle if I really wanted to. I just don’t feel comfortable getting a lot bigger [pads] than this."
He changed shoulder pads this year, chucking a pair he wore for 12 years in exchange for Pekka Rinne rejects. The shoulder pads still had Rinne's name stitched on them when they arrived. The Devils' training staff removed the stitching after a few weeks.
Brodeur is hoping to add coming back from an 0-3 deficit to win a title to his list of accomplishments in a Hall of Fame career. The quest continues tomorrow night with Game Five in the Prudential Center. The Kings had a 3-0 series lead before the Devils' 3-1 win Wednesday night in Staples Center.
"We still believe," Brodeur said.
--- Bucky Gleason
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