Rangers break through against Devils goalie Akira Schmid to force Game 7
The Rangers had been here before, they kept saying, after the Devils pushed them to the brink of playoff elimination with that stunning shutout win in Game 5 in Newark on Thursday. And it’s true, they have. They faced elimination from the playoffs six times last year and won five of those games.
On Saturday, for the first time in 2023, they found themselves with their backs against the wall in Game 6 of their first-round series against the Devils at Madison Square Garden. And their big guns came through for them.
Goals from Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Vladimir Tarasenko provided the offense, and goaltender Igor Shesterkin was superb with 34 saves in the Rangers’ 5-2 win.
The series is tied 3-3. Game 7 is Monday in Newark.
“We’ve got some character and some pride, and they didn’t like the way the last three games went, obviously,’’ coach Gerard Gallant said. “We get outplayed [in Games 3, 4 and 5], and so, tonight was a chance to redeem ourselves a little bit. And now we’ve given ourselves a chance for a Game 7.”
“I think we know the type of character, the type of guys we have in this room,’’ Rangers captain Jacob Trouba said. “A lot of guys stepped up and played big games tonight . . . We’ve been in this spot before. We know what it takes, and it’s desperation. The season’s on the line. That’s what you’ve got to bring. Everybody brings their ‘A’ game.’’
With the score tied 1-1, Zibanejad scored his first goal of the playoffs at 10:10 of the second period to give the Rangers their first lead since early in Game 3. Tarasenko got his third at 18:25 to make it 3-1 and put the Rangers in control.
Goals by Barclay Goodrow and Braden Schneider in the third period opened a 5-1 lead and chased Devils rookie Akira Schmid before Dawson Mercer scored on a power play with 4:48 remaining.
Schmid had stopped 80 of 82 shots while winning three straight games in this series.
“There was, I think, only one belief, that we can do it,’’ Tarasenko said. “Never give up. Just try to give our best and we’ll see what’s happening. It should be like this every night, and the last few games wasn’t that good for us. I think we played well today, but again, we have to focus on the next one [Monday].’’
Kreider’s goal, scored on the power play at 19:35 of the first period, was his sixth of the playoffs and broke an 0-for-14 drought on the man advantage that had stretched to the second period of Game 2. The goal tied it at 1-1. Curtis Lazar had opened the scoring for New Jersey midway through the first.
Gallant shuffled his lines and tweaked his power-play units for Game 6. He dropped Patrick Kane from the first line, promoting Tarasenko to that spot, and broke up the Kid Line by putting Artemi Panarin on the left of Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko. Kane ended up on a third line with center Vincent Trocheck and left wing Alexis Lafreniere.
Gallant also moved Tarasenko to the first power-play unit, dropped Kane to the second and inserted Kakko into Lafreniere’s spot on the second unit.
“When you make line changes, you’re hoping for the best,’’ Gallant said. “We’ve done it a lot during the season and tonight it probably paid off.’’
The Rangers finally were able to get some pressure on Schmid, who took over for Vitek Vanecek in Game 3 and served as the spark for the Devils’ turnaround in the series.
But Schmid made 24 saves on 29 shots Saturday and was pulled from the game after Schneider beat him with a slap shot from the left point at 12:28 of the third period.
Gallant was asked what it will do for the Rangers’ confidence to chase Schmid from the net after he baffled them for three games.
“I just want the goals,’’ Gallant said. “I don’t care if it chases Schmid or whoever . . . Obviously, the kid played great in the other games, and I’m not saying he didn’t play well tonight, but he didn’t have much of a chance on some of our goals.
“He was screened and we put it up over his glove, so. He made some good saves tonight. We had better opportunities.’’
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
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