Jersey Strong: Devils Knock Out Rivals from New York in Game 7
Victory belongs to the guys from Jersey! The New Jersey Devils took down their hated rivals, the New York Rangers in a dominating 4-0 triumph in Game 7 of the…
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – MAY 01: Jesper Bratt #63 of the New Jersey Devils celebrates his empty net goal against the New York Rangers in Game Seven of the First Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Prudential Center on May 01, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Rangers 4-0 to win the series 4 games to 3. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Victory belongs to the guys from Jersey!
The New Jersey Devils took down their hated rivals, the New York Rangers in a dominating 4-0 triumph in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals to advance to the semi's to face-off with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Devils were led by 22-year old goalie Akira Schmid, who was again brilliant in front of the net for the Devs, stopping 31 shots and pitching a shutout for the second time in this series. In five starts, Schmid went 4-1, allowing only seven goals, or a 1.38 Goals Against Average.
Meanwhile, the Devils were aggressive early and often. They pounded the Rangers defense in the first period, attempting 12 shots on goal including 8 inside the perimeter of the goal. That hard work softened up the Rangers come the second period, when Ondrej Palat skated around a couple of Rangers before passing off the puck to Michael McLeod who tipped it in for the 1-0 lead.
Six minutes later, Tomas Tatar took a pass from John Marino and burried into the net to give the Devils a seemingly insurmountable 2-0 lead.
Eric Haula's fourth goal of the series midway through the third period on a slap shot iced it for the Devils, and you could feel the party starting at the Rock.
