The New Jersey Devils bid farewell to the NHL playoffs with a win. Despite a brilliant comeback against the Washington Capitals, they miss the group victory in the Metropolitan Division.
A good 21 minutes were played when Washington made it 4-1 and New Jersey replaced goalie Mackenzie Blackwood with Swiss Akira Schmid. The 22-year-old from Emmental made his first appearance for the Devils since March 24 and his 18th appearance this season – and he was undeterred after that, saving all 20 shots on goal.
Defender Luke Hughes finally became the celebrated man, who 27 seconds before extra time and on a pass from his older brother Jack Hughes crowned a strong comeback by the Devils with the goal to make it 5:4. Captain Nico Hischier got the second assist on the 19-year-old American’s first NHL goal. With that, the Valaisian completed a strong qualification with exactly 80 scorer points (31 goals, 49 assists); he has never been so productive.
New Jersey’s 52nd win in 82 games ended up being of little value, because at the same time the Carolina Hurricanes defended their 1st place in the metropolitan division with a 6-4 win over the Florida Panthers. Now the Devils meet the New York Rangers in the playoff round of 16 and enjoy home advantage.
Malgin scores in a duel with Niederreiter
The evening was also a success for Denis Malgin, who scored his 13th goal of the season in the Colorado Avalanche’s 4-2 home win over Nino Niederreiter’s Winnipeg Jets. Last year’s Stanley Cup winners from Denver could still win the Central Division with a win against the Nashville Predators.
The last game of the season was sobering for Pius Suter and the Detroit Red Wings, who conceded their fifth consecutive loss in a 5-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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