Brodeur settling in after uneven start

NEWARK, N.J. -- Devils goalie Martin Brodeur finally feels as though he's found a rhythm to his season. It's showing in his play.

Brodeur will get his third straight start tonight when the Devils take on Washington. He has won the last two and allowed only four goals in the process.

This is the first time this season Brodeur is on a starting streak. He lost the season-opener, 3-0, and sat out the second game before coming back in Oct. 13 to play Los Angles. He lasted only one period before suffering a shoulder injury that kept him out until Nov. 2, when he returned but gave up five goals to the Maple Leafs in a loss.

Johan Hedberg, who started the six games that Brodeur had to miss because of his injury, got back in the night after the Devils lost to the Leafs and picked up a 4-3 shootout victory against the Flyers the very next night. Brodeur, though, comes into the game Friday after making 21 saves in a 3-2 overtime win against the Jets on Saturday and then 25 saves in a 3-2 regulation win against Carolina on Tuesday.

"The more you play the more you feel comfortable." Brodeur, who isn't expected to play Saturday in Washington, told NHL.com. "It helps to get in somewhat of a rhythm. I didn't have one earlier due to the lack of playing. It felt for a while like the season never started for me, so this is the start of my season now."

As much as the consistent starts matter to Brodeur, the wins mean more to him because now it tells him he's contributing, not just playing.

"For a forward, even if you win but you don't score, you feel you're left out. It's the same thing with a goalie," Brodeur said. "If you can't put anything together to try to get the team to advance in the standings it's hard. It's nice to do that and be part of the team."

For the Devils, it's just nice to have Brodeur back in rhythm. As solid as Hedberg has been, he just doesn't have the same reputation as Brodeur, who is still arguably the most talked about player by opposing coaches and players when they're getting ready to face the Devils.

"It's good for us because he's starting to play really well," Devils captain Zach Parise told NHL.com. "I think he's got that ability to make the opponents think. He definitely at times gets in players heads and makes them overthink. If you can have that as an advantage, that's great."

Follow Dan Rosen on Twitter at: @drosennhl

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