The New Jersey Devils faced an uphill battle in their first-round series against the New York Rangers, down 2-0 and outscored 10-2 in the first two games. However, Akira Schmid’s 35-save performance in Game 3 turned the tide, and his stellar performance in Game 4 helped the Devils to even the series. Jonas Siegenthaler, who had been scratched in a previous game, scored his first playoff goal to secure the win for the Devils. On the other hand, the Rangers struggled to generate offense, especially on the power play, despite having a top-10 power play unit in the league. Fans at Madison Square Garden booed the Rangers’ lackluster power play, while the Devils’ penalty kill continued to impress. In another series, the Seattle Kraken, the NHL’s newest franchise, has managed to even the score with the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche, in a series that has shown both sides capable of scoring important goals. However, the Kraken have struggled to maintain leads, allowing the Avalanche to come back in each game. The series also saw a controversial hit on Jared McCann by Cale Makar, which could have implications for the remainder of the series. Ultimately, the Devils and the Kraken have shown great resilience in their series, while the Rangers and Avalanche will need to make adjustments to regain control.
