Stanley Cup Finals 2012: Should Peter DeBoer Have Yanked Martin Brodeur?

Seven weeks ago, in an effort to safeguard a 3-0 lead over the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, Martin Brodeur uncharacteristically authorized three opposing goals on 12 shots faced.

First-year New Jersey Devils head coach Peter DeBoer responded to the third strike by forking out the veteran goaltender in favor of Johan Hedberg. The momentum irrecoverably lost for the night, the backup would yield the decider in a foul, fall-from-ahead 4-3 falter at the Prudential Center.

But in turn, Brodeur responded with a 26-save shutout in Game 4 and then confined the Panthers to two goals in each of the subsequent three matchups. His efforts were sufficient to hold off the Florida strike force until the Devils could pull off back-to-back overtime victories and advance to the second round.

On Monday, Brodeur’s ratio of goals-against, shots-against and saves was only negligibly better than April 17 by the time Justin Williams smuggled in a power-play strike at 6:47 of the third period.

It was the host Los Angeles Kings’ fourth tally on 20 stabs and effectively finalized their 4-0 triumph in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.

With 13:13 still remaining in a pseudo must-win game that was as good as lost, DeBoer might have considered repeating his move from April 17. Taking his future Hall of Fame starter away from the heat of the meltdown could have done some long-term good for a team that is now vying to become the fourth NHL squad to surmount a 3-0 series deficit.

Sure, it would have meant adding only a negligible half-hour, at most, to Brodeur’s cooling off, recovery and refocusing ahead of Wednesday night’s Game 4 at the Staples Center.

But before the Kings pulled this one away in the closing frame on back-to-back power-play conversions and after umpteen penalty kills, this was a game where every little inch mattered, just like its two predecessors in Newark.

For DeBoer, the same concept should have applied to Brodeur. He should have spared his overcooked goaltender the vain task of trying to finish strong and started to turn the page earlier.

In fact, whether he had done it after Williams’ goal or Jeff Carter’s five-on-four conversion barely two minutes prior, DeBoer could have helped his team as a whole by making a simple goaltending swap.

Had the skipper made that move, one could have maligned it as giving in. But by not signaling a desire to settle down and look forward to a clean slate on Wednesday, DeBoer did nothing to prevent his skaters’ frustration from boiling over in the remaining 13-15 minutes of action.

Accordingly, he took the even graver risk of letting the Kings know they are fully in New Jersey’s heads. For the local masses at the Staples Center, the third period of Game 3 in this series had to be evoking fresh memories of the conference finals, when the head-spun Phoenix Coyotes spiraled down to a five-game defeat.

Although there were no more penalties after Marek Zidlicky’s high-sticking infraction with a 3-0 score at hand and 14:30 to spare, the Devils were still patently out of synch.

Don’t be fooled by the six unanswered shots at Jonathan Quick and the 15 unanswered attempts between the 7:33 and 13:27 marks. Once they had the 4-0 deficit glowering at them, the desperate Devils were on a sugar rush built around a vast outpouring of empty bids.

It was far too much quantity with barely any quality. Hardly the right way for the Devils to leave a final impression before these parties face off again in the first elimination game of this championship bout.

But if DeBoer had benched Brodeur, things could have been different. With Hedberg on for firefighting duties in their own crease, the visiting skaters would likely have still issued an onslaught on L.A. property, but with more discipline and focus.

In turn, they could have spoiled Quick’s shutout bid and maybe brought the Kings’ skates back to ice level while giving themselves a tangible morsel of confidence to carry over to Game 4.

Instead, they will need to start completely from scratch. They and Brodeur both, with the goaltender coming off a most mortifying third-period crumble that DeBoer imprudently forced him to see through to the end.