To whip his men into Game 3 of the series against the New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff sent Akira Schmid in front of the net. It may be his best decision this season.
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Akira Schmid
At the start of the campaign, the Swiss was the third goalkeeper behind Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood. Often injured, this allowed Schmid to play 18 games and obtain five consecutive victories in November and December. The 6’5″ colossus, whom many are already comparing to Ben Bishop, had not won in 2021-2022 in six games.
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With Schmid between the posts, the Devils have won their last three meetings and will have the opportunity to eliminate the Rangers on Saturday. Without minimizing the impact of the 22-year-old goalkeeper, Ruff ensured that the fault did not lie with Vanecek.
“It has nothing to do with Vitek. We weren’t playing well in front of him. The whole group realized, defending against Vitek, that they had to play better. We had to control the puck and play our way. I believe that the group has adapted,” said the experienced pilot at a press conference on Thursday evening.
And for good reason ; the Devils threw themselves in front of 24 shots from the Blueshirts, allowing Schmid to complete a 23-save shutout.
“Jersey played a whole game, their best in the series so far. We put traffic [devant le filet] and I think their goalkeeper played very well for them. [Igor Shesterkin] was excellent too, but I thought Schmid was very good,” said Rangers coach Gerard Gallant.
Defensive responsibilities
The New Jersey players did a great job of limiting the chances of the best opposing elements and responding at the right time. Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox finished with -3 differentials.
“The guys are playing phenomenally in front of me. I don’t have a lot of work. I can’t give the guys enough credit,” said Schmid, who posted a 0.63 goals-against average and .976 save percentage in three games.
Of course, he won’t spit on a bit of luck. Late in the third period, the Rangers hit the post and the masked man admitted losing the puck with his eyes. There followed a pile-up in front of his net, but the Devils were finally able to find the disc.
“It takes a bit of luck sometimes. We were lucky two or three times today. […] You just try to get up quickly, find the puck and sit on it if you have to,” Schmid said with a smile.
Do the Devils have the new Cam Ward on their hands? In 2005-06, the rookie upped his game in the playoffs with the Carolina Hurricanes, who eventually lifted the Stanley Cup. A last victory against the Rangers is essential first.