Schmid, Devils blank Rangers in Game 7, advance past rivals - ESPN

NEWARK, N.J. — The New Jersey Devils won their first playoff series in 11 years, eliminating the rival New York Rangers in Game 7, 4-0, with a dominant defensive effort to claim victory in the Battle of the Hudson.

Rookie goalie Akira Schmid made 31 saves for his second shutout of the playoffs, having taken over as starter in Game 3 with his club trailing at the time, 2-0.

The Devils advance to take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, starting Wednesday night in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes eliminated the New York Islanders in six games.

For the Rangers, it was a frustrating end to a promising season. New York made the Eastern Conference Final last season and loaded up at the NHL trade deadline with star wingers Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko, both pending free agents. They won the first two games of the series in New Jersey, only to see the Devils roll off three straight wins. New York pushed it to a seventh game with a win at home in Game 6, only to fall short.

The Devils took a 1-0 lead on a spectacular bit of penalty killing by Ondrej Palat. With Jesper Bratt in the penalty box for tripping, Palat hounded both defenseman Adam Fox and forward Chris Kreider in their own zone, eventually forcing a turnover. The Rangers' Mika Zibanejad made a desperation slide to cut off Palat from the Rangers' net, but he found teammate Michael McLeod with a pass. McLeod sent a slow-motion backhand shot into the net at 9:53 of the second period.

New Jersey made it 2-0 on a play that started with a brilliant rush to the net by defenseman John Marino. Shesterkin made the save, Marino controlled the puck and sent it back towards the crease. That's where Tomas Tatar quickly