Akira Schmid had started just 18 NHL games before these playoffs started, but since taking over for the struggling Vitek Vanecek in goal for the Devils in Game 3 against the Rangers, the 22-year-old rookie has been a key to the team’s turnaround.
He stood tall again in Thursday’s 4-0 win at Prudential Center, outplaying Igor Shesterkin to put the Devils on the brink of knocking off their rivals with a 3-2 series lead.
Game 6 will be Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
Schmid was solid throughout, and made a handful of excellent early saves as the Devils built a three-goal lead by the end of the second period.
He finished with 23 saves as the Devils outshot the Rangers, 42-23.
Though Schmid was solid, he was mostly untested — the Devils totally dominated play.
And that’s why Devils head coach Lindy Ruff was mostly complimentary of his team overall when asked about the change in fortunes since inserting Schmid into the lineup.
“We just go back to relaxing and making better plays,’’ Ruff said.
Of the first two lopsided losses, Ruff said, “It had nothing to do with Vitek. It had to do with the group. The group didn’t play well in front of him.”
And Ruff emphasized again it was more of a hunch that led him to make the switch in net.
“Realistically, we took a shot at it for Game 3, and the whole group realized, in defense of Vitek, we needed to play better, handle the puck better and play our game,’’ Ruff said. “I feel the group did.”
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In the first period, Schmid made good stops on shots by Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Ryan Lindgren. And in the second, Schmid reacted well with Kappo Kakko on the doorstep.
Later in the second, Schmid stoned Vincent Trocheck to continue the shutout.
Before the game, Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant praised the Devils rookie goaltender, saying Schmid had “looked very good in net, very comfortable.”
Gallant added he wanted the Rangers to do what they did in the first two games of the series, which was “get people at the net [and] screen him. … We’ve got to get more traffic, more compete going to their net.”
That worked in those first two games, when the Rangers pummeled Vanecek.
They didn’t have the same success with Schmid.
And that wouldn’t come as a surprise to Devils defenseman Damon Severson.
“He’s dialed in,’’ Severson said of Schmid. “He’s a super-nice guy, chill. They always say goalies are a little weird and have quirks, but he’s a good guy. He goes about his business. You don’t have to say or worry about anything if he’s scored on or not. He keeps doing his thing and plays his game.”
That was evident throughout Game 5, as Schmid stood up to all challenges, while Shesterkin struggled for most of the first two periods — including giving up a shorthanded goal — and was the subject of several derisive chants of “I-gor!” from the crowd.
And even when Schmid made a mistake, like when he gave up the puck, Kakko missed the net with a shot.
That’s the kind of roll Schmid is on as the first rookie goaltender to start a postseason game for the Devils since Martin Brodeur did so in 1992. The switch has paid off, likely even better than the team could have hoped.
