The New Jersey Devils, who shocked many by becoming one of the NHL’s top teams this season, delivered another surprise in their playoff opener against their longtime rivals, the New York Rangers — thanks to a stellar performance from 22-year-old goaltender Akira Schmid.
Schmid bounced back from a rough Game 6 and made 31 saves to lead the Devils to a 4-0 victory in Game 7 on Monday night, clinching a spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“We believe in each other,” said Devils captain Nico Hischier. “We’ve got a great group here, and when we use our speed, we’re hard to handle.”
Coming off a franchise-record 52-win season, the Devils will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the next round. Game 1 is set for Wednesday in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Schmid, who had only played in 24 regular-season games over the past two years, was a revelation after Devils coach Lindy Ruff switched to him following two 5-1 losses in the series’ first two games. Over the final five games, Schmid went 4-1, allowing just two goals in his four wins and earning his second shutout of the series in the decisive Game 7.
“You’ve got to be ready when your opportunity comes,” Schmid said. “The team helped me a lot, making the transition easier.”
Schmid’s heroics helped fuel New Jersey’s turnaround, with Michael McLeod and Tomas Tatar scoring in the second period, followed by third-period goals from Erik Haula and Jesper Bratt to seal the win.
“Stone cold!” said Tatar of Schmid. “He’s been so calm and patient in the crease, a huge part of this series win.”
Schmid made several key saves, including two from Mika Zibanejad on a Rangers power play in the first period and a crucial glove save on Vincent Trocheck in the third.
Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin was excellent in the loss, stopping 20 shots, including a breakaway attempt by Jack Hughes in the first period. But the Rangers’ potent offense struggled, scoring only two goals in their four losses.
“We have a ton of talent, but we didn’t get the job done,” said Rangers coach Gerard Gallant. “We needed more effort on the forecheck.”
New Jersey broke the game open in the second period with a shorthanded goal from McLeod at 9:53. Ondrej Palat outmuscled Chris Kreider and Adam Fox to win the puck, sliding a pass to McLeod, who calmly skated around Shesterkin and backhanded the puck into the net.
Later in the period, John Marino’s persistence paid off as he retrieved a puck in the corner and made a blind pass to Tatar, who quickly scored to make it 2-0 at 15:39.
Haula added a fourth goal with 5:33 left, sending the home crowd into celebration. Bratt finished things off with an empty-net goal, securing the Devils’ victory.
RIVALRY RECORD
This was the seventh playoff series between the Devils and Rangers, with New Jersey now trailing 4-3 overall. Two of their previous series went to seven games, with the Rangers winning both times at Madison Square Garden — including the 1994 Eastern Conference final, famous for Stephane Matteau’s double-overtime winner.
GAME NOTES
Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur rallied the crowd before the game, waving a white towel. … Despite being a Devils home game, there were many Rangers fans in attendance. … Jack Hughes took a hard fall late in the first period but continued playing. … Home teams are now 112-81 in 193 Game 7s in NHL history, with a 1-2 record this year. Both Boston and Colorado lost at home in Game 7s the previous night.
UP NEXT
- The Devils will open their second-round series against the Hurricanes on Wednesday in Raleigh, North Carolina.
