Akira Schmid blanks Rangers again

The New Jersey Devils are off to the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs and a major reason has been the play of goaltender Akira Schmid of Nesslau, Switzerland. On Monday, Schmid made 31 saves as the Devils eliminated the New York Rangers 4-0 in game seven of the first round Eastern Conference playoff series. They will now play the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference second round series starting Wednesday.

Game Seven Statistics

Schmid made six saves in the first period, 12 saves in the second period, and 13 saves in the third period. Defenseman Jacob Trouba led New York with five shots on goal. The Rangers captain also made headlines for a gigantic hit on newly acquired Devils forward Timo Meier, who like Schmid, is also from Switzerland.

John Marino of North Easton, Massachusetts and Ondrej Palat of Frydek-Mistek, Czech Republic led the Devils with two points each as they both had a pair of helpers. The Devils goal scorers were Michael McLeod of Mississauga, Ontario, Tomas Tatar of Ilava, Slovakia, Erik Haula of Pori, Finland, and Jesper Bratt of Stockholm, Sweden. McLeod’s game-winning goal at 9:53 of the second period from Palat was shorthanded.

Second Career Playoff Shutout

This was Schmid’s second playoff shutout of the series against the Rangers. The first came in game five on Thursday in an identical 4-0 Devils win over the Rangers at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Schmid also has one regular season shutout on his resume. That came in a 7-0 Devils win over the Philadelphia Flyers on February 25 as Schmid made 23 saves.

Second Swiss Goalie with Multiple Playoff Shutouts

Schmid became only the second Swiss goalie with multiple playoff shutouts. The other was Jonas Hiller of Felben Wellhausen, who had three postseason shutouts with the Anaheim Ducks. The only other Swiss goalies with a playoff shutout were David Aebischer of Geneva, who had a shutout with the Colorado Avalanche, and Martin Gerber of Burgdorf, who had a shutout with the Carolina Hurricanes.