12/02/2023

TBL:

1

DAL:

8

Final

CHI:

1

WPG:

3

Final

NYR:

4

NSH:

3

Final

NYI:

4

FLA:

3

Final

BUF:

2

CAR:

6

Final

DET:

5

MTL:

4

Final

SEA:

0

OTT:

2

Final

PHI:

4

PIT:

3

Final

BOS:

4

TOR:

3

Final

STL:

1

ARI:

4

Final

COL:

3

ANA:

4

Final

VAN:

4

CGY:

3

Final

WSH:

1

VGK:

4

Final

12/03/2023

CHI:

1

MIN:

4

Final

SJS:

5

NYR:

6

Final

CBJ:

1

BOS:

3

Final

NSH:

2

BUF:

1

Final

COL:

1

LAK:

4

Final

12/04/2023

PIT:

1

PHI:

2

Final

DAL:

0

TBL:

4

Final

SEA:

2

MTL:

4

Final

CAR:

1

WPG:

2

Final

WSH:

0

ARI:

6

Final

STL:

2

VGK:

1

Final

12/05/2023

LAK:

4

CBJ:

3

Final

NYR:

2

OTT:

6

Final

DET:

5

BUF:

3

Final

SJS:

5

NYI:

4

Final

NSH:

4

CHI:

3

Final

MIN:

5

CGY:

2

Final

ANA:

2

COL:

3

Final

NJD:

6

VAN:

5

Final

12/06/2023

DAL:

0

FLA:

0

07:00 ET

PIT:

0

TBL:

0

07:00 ET

VGK:

0

STL:

0

09:00 ET

CAR:

0

EDM:

0

09:30 ET

12/07/2023

BUF:

0

BOS:

0

07:00 ET

SJS:

0

DET:

0

07:00 ET

LAK:

0

MTL:

0

07:00 ET

TOR:

0

OTT:

0

07:00 ET

CBJ:

0

NYI:

0

07:30 ET

DAL:

0

WSH:

0

08:00 ET

TBL:

0

NSH:

0

08:00 ET

ANA:

0

CHI:

0

08:30 ET

PHI:

0

ARI:

0

09:00 ET

CAR:

0

CGY:

0

09:00 ET

WPG:

0

COL:

0

09:00 ET

MIN:

0

VAN:

0

10:00 ET

NJD:

0

SEA:

0

10:30 ET

12/08/2023

STL:

0

CBJ:

0

07:00 ET

PIT:

0

FLA:

0

07:00 ET

MIN:

0

EDM:

0

09:00 ET

Schmid’s Steady Play Helps Devils Knock Out Rangers

Akira Schmid in net for the New Jersey Devils in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

After Games 1 and 2, the New Jersey Devils were in serious trouble in their first-round Stanley Cup playoff matchup with the New York Rangers.

For starters, they lost both games, both of which were on home ice. After coming into the series as somewhat of a favorite to win, going down 2-0 heading into Madison Square Garden certainly was not an ideal situation.

Secondly, they had been outscored 10-2 in those games. The Rangers won both games by a score of 5-1 and looked like they might even sweep the Devils.

Lastly, the Devils were not getting good goaltending from their starter Vitek Vanecek. After having a great regular season in which he went 33-11-0-4 with a 2.45 goals-against average, a .911 save percentage, and three shutouts, he struggled in Games 1 and 2 and posted a 4.43 goals-against average and a .827 save percentage.

Due to the above-mentioned circumstances, Devils head coach Lindy Ruff made a change for Game 3 and decided to start 22-year-old Akira Schmid in Game 3. The rest, as they say, is history.

Schmid came in and did everything and more for the Devils in this series. For starters, he did something Vanecek could not do in Games 1 and 2, and that is win hockey games.

He came into the net and won four out of the five games he played. Simply put, he did the most important thing in playoff hockey, and that was win games.

Secondly, Schmid was calm and poised between the pipes. He was always in the position to make first and second saves and never really seemed to be out of position.

When you have a goaltender that can play that style in the playoffs, it makes the game much easier. Schmid put rebounds to the corners, swallowed up a lot of pucks, and when he needed to, especially in Game 3 and parts of Game 7, he made the big saves when his team needed them the most.

Lastly, he showed that he was resilient. After allowing five goals in his team’s 5-2 loss in Game 6 at MSG, Schmid could have easily been rattled going into a do-or-die Game 7.

Instead, Schmid came in and picked up a 31-save shutout in a 4-0 win to eliminate the Rangers. He made a few big saves, played within himself, and made things look really easy for someone who is still a very young goaltender.

Schmid showed the Devils and the rest of the league that he can win on the biggest stage. It will be interesting to see if he can keep up his strong play in the second round against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Stanley Cup Aspirations Cue’ the Duck Boats Pod

The boys are back after a long break but have plenty to talk about as the playoffs are in full swing. We go series by series, looking at how teams have fared so far and who will come out on top. Thanks for listening! Please rate and review our show on your favorite listening platform. Check out our partner's website at www.insidetherink.com for all your latest hockey news.
  1. Stanley Cup Aspirations
  2. The Final Countdown
  3. Here Come the Playoffs
  4. Home Stretch
  5. Kevy Cooks

Patrick Hoffman

Patrick covers the NHL for Inside The Rink. He has previously covered the league for The Ultimate Hockey Fan Cave, WTP Sports, Sportsnet.ca, Kukla’s Korner, Spector’s Hockey, NHL Network Radio blog, TheHockeyNews.com, The Fourth Period, Stan Fischler’s “The Fischler Report”, as well as a slew of others.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

LA Kings Quarter Pole Review

When the Kings went out in the offseason and acquired Pierre Luc Dubois in the landmark trade of Rob Blake’s tenure as general manager, the trade between Winnipeg and Los Angeles for the marquee center became amplified in abundance due to its significance in the Western Conference. The West is becoming what it used to […]

Read More

Bruins Are Seeing Real Value in Return From Taylor Hall Trade

In a cost-cutting move during the offseason, the Boston Bruins traded from number one overall draft pick Taylor Hall and veteran Nick Foligno to the Chicago Blackhawks for two young defensemen. Moving on from Hall created much-needed cap space. At the time of the trade, CapFriendly estimated the Bruins had less than $5 million in […]

Read More
Red Wings Game 24 Preview

GAMEDAY PREVIEW Game 24: Detroit Red Wings vs. Buffalo Sabres & Projected Line Combos

The Detroit Red Wings will hit the road to take on the Buffalo Sabres tonight

Read More