The New Jersey Devils have advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs after a thrilling Game 7 victory over the New York Rangers. The Devils, who had been trailing 3-2 in the series, came back to win the deciding game 4-2 and will now face the Carolina Hurricanes in the next round.
The Devils were led by their star players, Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier, who each scored a goal in the win. Hall opened the scoring in the first period, while Hischier added an insurance goal in the third period to seal the victory. The Devils also received strong goaltending from Keith Kinkaid, who made 28 saves on 30 shots.
The Devils have been one of the surprise teams of the playoffs so far. After finishing sixth in the Metropolitan Division, they were able to upset the Rangers in the first round. They will now face a tough challenge against the Hurricanes, who finished with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.
The Hurricanes are led by their dynamic duo of Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen, who combined for 77 goals and 197 points during the regular season. They are supported by an experienced defense corps that includes Justin Faulk, Jaccob Slavin, and Brett Pesce. In goal, Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney have both played well during the playoffs.
The Devils will need to be at their best if they want to advance to the conference finals. They will need their star players to continue to produce and their defense to remain solid. If they can do that, they have a chance to make a deep run in the playoffs.
The Devils and Hurricanes will face off in Game 1 of their second-round series on Thursday night. It promises to be an exciting matchup between two teams that are both capable of making a deep run in the playoffs. The winner of this series will advance to face either the Boston Bruins or Tampa Bay Lightning in the conference finals.
