Stanley Cup Finals 2012: Breaking Down Martin Brodeur vs Jonathan Quick

The 2012 Stanley Cup Finals between the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings—set to kick off in just a few hours—will feature some amazing matchups.

Both Dustin Brown and Zach Parise—captains for Los Angeles and New Jersey, respectively—have been everything a captain should be and more this postseason. Their superstar linemates, Kings' Anze Kopitar and Devils' Ilya Kovalchuk, have also performed beyond the lofty expectations placed on them.

And there will be awesome matchups up and down the rest of the lineups, as well.

Devils' centre Adam Henrique versus Kings' centre Mike Richards. Drew Doughty and Willie Mitchell versus New Jersey's star forwards. Marek Zidlicky and Bryce Salvador versus L.A.'s daunting forecheck.

The Devils' dangerous power play versus the Kings' dominant penalty kill.

Then there's the most intriguing matchup of all: The Kings' Jonathan Quick versus the Devils' Martin Brodeur. Sure, goalie versus goalie is often the most intriguing matchup in any hockey game, but this one is really special.

This is probably Martin Brodeur's last chance to win a fourth Stanley Cup before he retires, and it is a chance for Quick to win his first, maybe his first of many.

It's a chance for Brodeur to solidify his place as the best goalie of all-time, and a chance for Quick to claim his spot as the best goalie in the league right now.

More than anything else though, it's a matchup between two vastly different but equally skilled goaltenders, and a matchup that will be entertaining as hell as we watch to see which guy is able to turn it up a notch higher than his opponent.

Currently...

Jonathan Quick is in an elite tier of NHL goalies.

Some goalies, such as Mike Smith, Kari Lehtonen, Jimmy Howard and Brian Elliott had elite 2011-12 seasons. Others, such as Tomas Vokoun, Ryan Miller, Cam Ward and Roberto Luongo are excellent every season. But out of the entire league, only Henrik Lundqvist, Tim Thomas, Pekka Rinne and Quick fall into both categories.

Quick's .924 save pct. and 2.05 GAA over the last two seasons—coupled with his clear growth from season to season—is proof that he is an athlete who is already rising above the competition at age 26.

Martin Brodeur is not the goalie he once was.

If Quick is rising to the top, Brodeur is falling towards the middle. For about 15 years (1995-2010), Marty was in that top tier that Quick is now a part of. Over the last two years, however, Brodeur has posted a .906 save pct. and 2.41 GAA despite a stellar defense.

Brodeur is still a solid starting goaltender, but he's no longer the elite player he once was.

Edge: Quick

Playoff Experience

Suffice it to say that Martin Brodeur has been here before.

The 40-year-old goalie has played in 17 postseasons, 199 postseason games, 36 postseason series and four Stanley Cup Finals. Even more impressive than Brodeur's experience is his success rate: He's gone 111-87 in games, 23-13 in series and 3-1 in the Finals.

His .919 save pct, 2.01 GAA and 24 shutouts look even better when you consider how different goaltending was in the early days of Marty's career.

Jonathan Quick has not been here before. Not even close.

The 26-year-old has only appeared in three postseasons and five postseason series, and has never once played on the NHL's ultimate stage. In fact, before this season he'd never even played in the second round.

His playoff numbers are very good—a winning record of 16-10, .923 save pct, and 2.36 GAA—but the sample size is small, and his stellar performance in the 2012 playoffs is weighing his career totals in his favor.

There is no comparison here, but that would true no matter who was going up against Marty.

Edge: Brodeur

This Postseason...

Jonathan Quick has been unbeatable. Except in game 1 against Phoenix.

Regardless of two freakishly bad goals in that game, Quick's save pct. (.946) and GAA (1.54) are the best numbers of any goalie this postseason. He's elevated his game above where it was during the regular season, and as he was already a great player, that's a scary thought for his opponents.

They say getting hot at the right time is all that matters in the postseason, but Quick is more than hot—he's a hot superstar. If he keeps it up, he could repeat Tim Thomas' feat from a year ago by winning the Vezina, Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy all in the same season.

Martin Brodeur may not be in contention for the Vezina, but he's certainly threatening to bring home his first Conn Smythe.

After posting a pedestrian .908 save pct. and 2.41 GAA during the regular season, Brodeur has turned back the clock this postseason. His .923 save pct. and 2.04 GAA have turned New Jersey back into the powerhouse it once was.

While Quick's numbers are better, he's also had the advantage of playing behind a team that is clicking to an insane extreme. Both goalies have allowed some softies in so far, but both have moved on instantly, and both are largely to thank for their teams making it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Edge: Quick (barely)

Better Matchup

Martin Brodeur is still an old school goaltender, despite what anyone says.

His major strengths are still his puck playing, his positioning, his glove and his athleticism. In this sense he isn't all that different from Coyotes' Mike Smith, a goalie that gave the Kings more of a run for their money than either Canucks' Roberto Luongo and Blues' Brian Elliott did.

L.A.'s offense is centered around hard forechecking and quick puck movement, so a goalie who can play the puck, get into position and get across the crease is exactly what New Jersey needs to beat them.

Jonathan Quick is the definition of a new school netminder.

He's a pure butterfly-style goalie, relying on his excellent flexibility and reflexes to take away everything down low. He's probably the NHL's quickest goaltender in terms of getting across the crease, which allows him to come out and aggressively challenge shooters.

The only way to beat him are with screens and elevated shots, but even then Quick's ability to fight through screens and make glove saves are both well above average.

For New Jersey, a team based around similar principles as L.A. offensively (forechecking, puck movement), Quick presents a window with his shaky puck play, but also an incredible challenge with his crease coverage.

New Jersey—unlike L.A.—relies on their power play for offense. Unfortunately for them, Quick is the best penalty-killing goalie in the NHL.

Edge: Brodeur (barely)

Verdict

Jonathan Quick is one of the best goalies in the NHL these days, and he's playing better than anyone else right now.  

Martin Brodeur is one of the best playoff goalies in NHL history, and his style of play could give the Kings some serious trouble.

In the end, both goalies will have superb finals, and the winning team will win because of better play by their skaters.

But at age 40, with the desire to bring home what will almost certainly be his fourth and final Stanley Cup, and an enormous edge in experience over Quick and the rest of the Kings, Brodeur is poised to have one of his best series' ever.

Verdict: Martin Brodeur will outplay Jonathan Quick ever so slightly in the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals.