Brodeur: Markstrom, Allen 'as good a duo you could have in the NHL'

The New Jersey Devils have overhauled their goaltending in the past year, turning it from a weakness into a strength - much to the delight of Martin Brodeur.

The Devils legend and current executive vice president of hockey operations couldn't be more thrilled with the veteran tandem of Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen.

"When (general manager Tom Fitzgerald) got in the conversation for Markstrom, I was really excited," Brodeur told NHL.com's Mike G. Morreale. "Jacob was one of the guys I kind of put in his ear, because we needed someone who had that experience, had success, and he was a big boy (6-foot-6) in the net.

"If everybody stays healthy, that's as good a duo you could have in the NHL, because these guys won't give up games. They're going to make the other team earn their wins."

The Devils landed Markstrom in an offseason trade with the Calgary Flames. Allen was acquired ahead of the 2024 trade deadline from the Montreal Canadiens.

The results speak for themselves so far: Through five games, New Jersey is 4-1-0 and ranks sixth in the NHL with a team save percentage of .927 after it finished 27th a year ago (.896 save percentage) with Vitek Vanecek and Nico Daws getting the bulk of the starts.

Allen - a former teammate of Brodeur's with the St. Louis Blues - has been particularly sharp to begin the year, allowing just one goal on 38 shots in two appearances.

Brodeur lauded the stability of the veteran duo.

"As a goalie, you don't want to be the reason why you're losing games; you want to be status quo. You want nobody to know you're even there," he said. "Look, you don't have to be spectacular, but just do what you need to do to give the team a chance to win, and with the experience they both bring, I think we were able to get that."