The New Jersey Devils are now just one win away from advancing to the second round after turning their series around with three consecutive victories.
Erik Haula scored twice, Akira Schmid made 23 saves for his first career playoff shutout, and the Devils defeated the New York Rangers 4-0 on Thursday night to take a 3-2 series lead.
Dawson Mercer added a goal and an assist, while Ondrej Palat scored early to set the tone for New Jersey’s dominant performance.
“Tonight we did a lot of good things, and that’s exactly how we need to play,” said Devils captain Nico Hischier. “Our speed is our strength, and when we use it, we’re dangerous.”
After losing the first two games by a combined score of 10-2, the Devils have outscored the Rangers 9-2 in the last three games, including Thursday’s convincing win.
Igor Shesterkin made 39 saves for the Rangers, but the team struggled to generate offense, leaving head coach Gerard Gallant frustrated.
“We just weren’t good enough,” Gallant said. “Jersey played their best game of the series, and you’ve got to give them credit.”
Schmid, the 22-year-old rookie goalie, started his third consecutive game after taking over for Vitek Vanecek, who allowed nine goals in the first two games. Schmid has been nearly perfect, stopping 80 of 82 shots in his starts.
“The guys before me have been fantastic,” Schmid said. “They’re making my life easy, and I can’t give them enough credit.”
The Rangers came close to scoring when Vincent Trocheck’s shot hit the post and rolled across the goal line, but Haula and Schmid worked together to clear the puck, keeping New York off the scoreboard.
Haula sealed the win with a long empty-net goal late in the third, his third of the series.
The Devils’ power play went 1-for-5, while the Rangers, who had success earlier in the series with the man advantage, were 0-for-2 and have failed to convert on their last 10 power plays.
New Jersey got on the board 39 seconds into the game when Palat fired a shot that deflected off Rangers defenseman Adam Fox’s stick and past Shesterkin. It was Palat’s second goal of the series and his 50th career playoff goal.
“When we scored that first one, the momentum kept building,” Mercer said. “From the goalie to the defense and forwards, everyone contributed.”
Haula made it 2-0 early in the second period, tipping Mercer’s shot past Shesterkin just as a Rangers penalty was expiring.
Mercer then added to the lead on a short-handed 2-on-1 rush, finishing a cross-ice pass from Haula for his first career playoff goal.
Shesterkin made a crucial save late in the second period to deny Timo Meier, but the Rangers couldn’t close the gap.
Schmid made several key saves early, stopping a 3-on-1 break led by Artemi Panarin and denying Vladimir Tarasenko’s shot from the left circle.
The Devils are now poised to close out the series with Game 6 scheduled for Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
Game Notes:
- The Rangers are 0-for-10 on the power play in the last three games after starting the series 4-for-10.
- The Devils have won three consecutive games after losing the first two series at home.
- Haula’s two goals give him three in the series, while Mercer’s short-handed goal was the first of his playoff career.
