It all comes down to this. The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers square off in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals tonight at the Prudential Center in Newark. Everything is on the table tonight with a trip to the East Semi’s against the Carolina Hurricanes at stake.
This has been a wild series. Chris Kreider (six goals in six games) and Devils’ goalie Akira Schmid (3-1 record, 1.72 GAA) have been the standout performers of this series for both squads, and it will mostly likely come down to how these two match-up against one another that will determine a winner of this game and series.
Schmid is a big reason why we are still playing this series. After the first two games, New York had a 2-0 series lead, and outscored the Devils 10-2, with veteran Vitek Vanecek struggling to keep the Rangers out of the net.
The decision to make the switch was a bold one by Devils Head Coach Lindy Ruff, but, so far, it has worked for New Jersey.
As for the Rangers, they must rely on their veterans to get this done. They traded for Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko for a reason, and those two must step up big tonight. Also Igor Shesterkin must have one of his very best nights in front of the net.
What’s the history like for these two squads in Game 7’s? Let’s look.