Nearly 15 years after recording his first playoff shutout, New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur blanked the Carolina Hurricanes 1-0 Thursday in a critical Game 5 matchup to tie Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy for the most postseason shutouts in a career.

No. 23 will be memorable for more than just tying Roy’s mark. Brodeur saved 44 shots to put the Devils a game up on the Hurricanes, the most he’s stopped in all 23 of his postseason shutouts.

Remarkably, Brodeur’s old mark for most saves in a playoff shutout was set in another 1-0 masterpiece. The future Hall of Famer recorded 38 saves in beating the Boston Bruins in overtime on May 12, 1995. Only one other time has he faced as many as 30 shots in a shutout, and that was his last one, against Tampa Bay on April 20, 2007, when he faced 31 shots. The Devils won that one, 3-0. Thursday’s victory was Brodeur’s third 1-0 win in the postseason.

Brodeur’s record-tying performance came in his 174th playoff appearance. He’s played in 73 fewer postseason matchups than Roy, who is the all-time leader in playoff games played and playoff wins (151). Brodeur is second in both categories and has 98 victories.

All-Time Leaders in Playoff Shutouts

Goalie. . . . . . . . . . . . . .GP. . . . . . .ShO
Martin Brodeur. . . . . . . .174. . . . . . . 23
Patrick Roy. . . . . . . . . . .247. . . . . . . 23
Curtis Joseph. . . . . . . . . 133. . . . . . . 16
Chris Osgood. . . . . . . . . 110. . . . . . . 14
Jacques Plante. . . . . . . .112. . . . . . . 14
Dominik Hasek. . . . . . . . 119. . . . . . . 14
Ed Belfour. . . . . . .. . . ..161. . . . . . . 14

Also noteworthy in New Jersey’s Game 5 victory was the performance of Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward, who had 41 saves of his own. The only goal he allowed was a power-play tally by David Clarkson near the game’s midpoint.

“There was a lot of opportunities both ways—shot for shot,” Ward said after the game. “Marty made the saves, now we’ve just got to find a way. We are down 3-2 here, our backs are against the wall and there is a must win on Sunday.”

The uphill battle Carolina faces may be more difficult than Ward thinks. Brodeur, who turns 37 on May 6, has posted back-to-back playoff shutouts six different times in his career. A seventh would not only give Brodeur the record, but send the Hurricanes home.