The second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is officially underway. However, it seems someone forgot to inform the New Jersey Devils of this development if their Game 1 performance against the Carolina Hurricanes is any indication.
The Hurricanes dominated the Devils, emerging victorious by a score of 5-1 on Wednesday night. Carolina takes a 1-0 series lead as they battle for a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Game 1 featured an uncharacteristically poor performance from Devils goalie Akira Schmid. The 22-year-old rookie dominated the New York Rangers in the first round but allowed three goals on 11 shots on Wednesday.
Devils head coach Lindy Ruff eventually pulled his young netminder, but he didn't blame Schmid for the loss. Ruff explained as much after the game. “I gave him a fist-bump on the blocker to let him know it had nothing to do with him,” Ruff said.
Ruff went on to say that there were a fair number of players on the ice for New Jersey who could have been pulled on Wednesday. However, the goalie takes the fall, and there could be a change for Game 2.
Backup Vitek Vanecek replaced Schmid in Game 1, facing 11 shots. He allowed just one goal during his time on the ice. Carolina added an empty net goal to close the game out in the third period.
Of course, it remains unclear whether Vanecek gets the start for Game 2. Schmid's performance in the first round suggests the 22-year-old can bounce back in a big way. Only time will tell what Ruff has in store for his Devils team.
Carolina and New Jersey are back at it again for Game 2 of this series on Friday. The game is scheduled to start at 8 pm Eastern time. American viewers can watch the game on TNT.
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