New Jersey Devils: 3 Questions Ahead Of Game 7 Vs. New York Rangers
The New Jersey Devils failed to beat the New York Rangers in Game 6 at Madison Square Garden, so now it’s down to one game. One game will settle whether this season was a success or a failure. Sure, the Devils will get props for taking this Rangers team, which went to the Eastern Conference Final last year and added Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane, to Game 7. Yet, the Devils added Timo Meier right before the NHL Trade Deadline. They also ended the season higher than the Rangers.
If the Devils win Game 7, everything is gravy from there. The Devils will want to advance further, but fans will always look back at this season fondly if they beat the Rangers. Now, it’s time to actually beat the Rangers. It all comes down to one game. Game 7.
For a team about to face the end of their season, a lot is still up in the air. By far the most important decision is the one that turned the series around.
Question #1: Who Is The Starting Goaltender?
Yeah, we are here again. Akira Schmid is the main reason the Devils are in this position at all. After Vitek Vanecek allowed nine goals in the first two games of the series, Schmid replaced him in the middle of Game 2 and never looked back. Schmid won two games in New York, then he came back to New Jersey and won another game. He’s been step for step with Igor Shesterkin outside of Game 6.
However, Schmid just played his 45th game of the season. That’s a career high. Is this what running out of gas looks like? Plus, Vanecek was the guy who brought the Devils to the postseason in the first place. He’s the only goaltender not named Martin Brodeur to win 30 games with this franchise.
Let’s be clear, it should be Schmid. We just wouldn’t be totally surprised if head coach Lindy Ruff went with Vanecek.
Question 2: Will There Be Any Line Changes?
The Devils lines did not generate offense on Saturday night. They scored two goals. One came at the beginning of the game when Curtis Lazar pounded home a rebound. They got that goal from the fourth line. Then, Dawson Mercer scored a goal, but the score was 5-1 at that point. In between, the Devils got nothing.
Tomas Tatar, Jesper Bratt, and Nico Hischier played eight minutes together, and they allowed two high-danger chances while getting zero. They replaced Tatar with Timo Meier late in the game, and the Devils once again allowed two high-danger chances, this time in just two minutes on the ice.
We imagine Ruff is going to make some changes to the lineup. Hischier, Meier, and Bratt have zero goals this series. That’s terrible. They need to get going offensively. The lines as is just aren’t working. It was working before Game 6, even without the goals. Meier had more chances than anyone not named Jack Hughes. However, Game 6 saw it crater.
Jack Hughes has been trying to lift Ondrej Palat and Erik Haula. Haula has been fine, but Palat has had a terrible series. Things hit a low point in Game 6 when Palat took two unnecessary penalties. We expect some extreme juggling in the top six.
Question 3: Will There Be Any Personnel Changes?
Beyond the top six, Lindy Ruff is thinking about who might get back into the lineup. We know it’s happening. Miles Wood and Brendan Smith were taken out of the lineup after a rough Game 2. Ruff is always itching to get Wood back into the lineup. Curtis Lazar has been fantastic in relief, so he isn’t going anywhere.
Wood could replace Nathan Bastian, but that seems like a mistake. Bastian had a rough Game 6, but he is the Devils one true hitter among the forwards. If he is going to preach physicality without losing skill, Bastian makes sense to stay in the lineup. Wood also has two penalties in two games.
The defense is an interesting discussion. Ryan Graves was the best defenseman in Game 1. Since then, it’s been up and down. He has to get some props for how he adjusted on the penalty kill, holding the Rangers off the board during the Devils winning streak. However, his Game 6 performance was putrid.
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Luke Hughes is the wild card on the bench the Rangers have no answer for. Of course, that’s a HUGE risk. He could make a mistake that costs the team the game. He’s very young, but he’s already one of the most offensively skilled defensemen in the world. It’s a hard decision, but the Devils need to consider that beating Igor Shesterkin will take a perfect offensive game plan.