NEW JERSEY VS. CAROLINA OTTAWA VS. TORONTO WASHINGTON VS. PITTSBURGH PHILADELPHIA VS. BUFFALO COLORADO VS. VANCOUVER DETROIT VS. LOS ANGELES DALLAS VS. EDMONTON ST. LOUIS VS. SAN JOSE

Tuesday, April 17 Brodeur knows to stay sharp By Brian A. Shactman ESPN.com New Jersey's Martin Brodeur and Toronto's Curtis Joseph have had vastly different challenges in their respective first-round series matchups. Joseph has been peppered by Ottawa, seeing an average of more than 33 shots in three games, whereas Brodeur has faced just 52 in three games -- roughly half of Joseph's total. What's been similar, however, is that Brodeur, like Joseph, hasn't lost a game yet. Brodeur hasn't been challenged much against Carolina, but when he has, he's been ready. Brodeur, a two-time Stanley Cup winner for the Devils, has allowed just one goal in three games and hopes to keep that going Wednesday night in Game 4 against the Hurricanes. Even though Joseph has overshadowed every other goalie in the playoffs thus far -- saving 99 of 101 shots, including a streak of 176-plus minutes of shutout hockey -- Brodeur's play, believe it or not, has been every bit as commenadable. "People don't realize how hard it is for Marty," said Devils teammate Scott Gomez. "Imagine just sitting back there. Then, the action comes, and he's ready. That's what is so special about him. He's totally focused from beginning to end." Most goalies say it's a lot easier to remain focused when there's a lot going on in front of them. In the first two games, Carolina did very little early on, which makes it even more difficult because that's when a goaltender is still warming up and searching for a rhythmn. Canes still have fight As morbid as it may sound, Carolina coach Paul Maurice is somewhat buoyed by his team's reaction to Scott Stevens' open-ice hit on rookie Shane Willis late in Game 2, which resulted in five stitches and a mild concussion for Willis, who didn't play Tuesday in Game 3. "There's still fight in them," said Maurice of how his players were angered by Stevens' hit. The Hurricanes hope to capitalize on the animosity built up by the hit, which came with just a few seconds left in Game 2 on Sunday -- as well as the home crowd in Raleigh, which is seeing playoff NHL hockey for the first time. Maurice, again, pointed to Willis for an example. In the third period of Game 2, Willis missed a breakaway, which was viewed as another loss in momentum for Carolina. "That's the difference at home and on the road," Maurice said. "At home, our crowd all would be excited they had a breakaway." "(The) games mirrored each other," Brodeur said of the first two contests with the Hurricanes in New Jersey. "There wasn't much in the first. A little more in the second, and then more in the third." Carolina mustered just three shots in the first period of Game 2 -- and only four in the opening stanza of Game 1. From there, the Canes steadily improved, culminating in a series high (for them) eight shots in the third period of Game 2, which ended in a 2-0 victory for New Jersey -- giving Brodeur a string of 68:33 without allowing a goal. In Game 3, Brodeur blanked Carolina again, extending the shutout streak to 128:33. Once more, the Canes generated just three shots on net in the first period -- and 16 for the game. "I know for a fact, they were sitting on their lead," said Carolina defenseman David Tanabe on why his team generated more chances late in the game. Brodeur disagrees, especially relating to Game 2. "I had to stay focused because one goal could have changed the game," Brodeur said of the ever-precarious two-goal margin New Jersey enjoyed much of the game. Whether or not there's credence to Tanabe's words, Brodeur faced a few serious challenges in the third period of all three games. "When we had breakdowns, Marty played extremely well for us," said coach Larry Robinson. And that's the way it's been all season for Brodeur and the East's No. 1 seed. New Jersey allowed just over 24 shots a game when Brodeur was in net, but when the flurries came, Brodeur always was ready, as evidenced by his 2.32 GAA, .906 save percentage and nine shutouts during the regular season. Brian A. Shactman covers the NHL for ESPN.com. He can be reached at brian.shactman@espn.com. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories