The New York Rangers were once up 2-0 in this first-round series against the rival New Jersey Devils. A comfortable lead that changed after losing two straight at The Garden and giving back home ice advantage.
In the first two games, won by identical 5-1 scores, the Blueshirts were the faster team willing to make simple plays to generate offense. The Devils made a change in Game 3 by going with a 22 year-old rookie goalie Akira Schmid. It’s paid off so far as he’s done a better job of stopping the first shot and playing the puck for his defense.