The New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers return to the Big Apple on Saturday for game six of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series. The Rangers return home on the brink of elimination after dropping a 4-0 decision on Thursday night. After dropping the first two games at home, the Devils have won three straight and are on the verge of clinching the series. The puck drops at 8:00 PM on Saturday night.
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After winning the second-most games and having the third-most points in the NHL this season, the Devils appeared to be on the verge of bowing out in the first round after losing each of the first two games at home to the Rangers. Since then, however, the Devils have won three straight games by a margin of 9-2, including a 4-0 win on Thursday night at home. Ondrej Palat got the Devils going early with a goal, Erik Haula had two goals and an assist, Dawson Mercer added a goal and an assist, and goalie Akira Schmid turned away 23 shots to help the Devils take a 3-2 lead in the series.
“Tonight we did a lot of good things and that's exactly how we got to play,” Devils captain Nico Hischier said. We knew if we use our speed, that's our strength. … That's what makes us a dangerous team — if we play with our speed.”
What a win. What a night. Let's Rewind. pic.twitter.com/yoRUVPSJyY
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) April 28, 2023
The key to the Devils one-sided win on Thursday night was their ability to get shots on net and keep the Rangers from doing the same. The Devils put 43 shots on net in the win while limiting the Rangers to just 23 shots. The Devils also blocked 24 shots in the game as well, to just 14 blocked shots for the Rangers. The Devils are second in the playoffs in goals allowed and are tied for 7th in the playoffs in penalty kill percentage. The Devils are last in goals per game and last in shooting percentage.