New Jersey's game versus Seattle marked the first time this season that the Devils allowed fewer than two goals in a game.
On Dec. 7, the New Jersey Devils earned a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. Ondrej Palat and Simon Nemec scored for the Devils, while Tye Kartye found the back of the net for the Kraken. It marked the first time this season that the Devils allowed fewer than two goals in a game.
The biggest storyline of the night surrounded 19-year-old Nemec, who scored his first NHL goal in the second period. A rookie celebrating his first NHL goal is always memorable, but it should not overshadow Akira Schmid's performance in the crease.
The 23-year-old made 37 saves on 38 shots and stole the show in the third period when Seattle was outshooting the Devils 16-3. He finished the game with a .974 save percentage.
Head coach Lindy Ruff praised his young netminder during his postgame press conference.
"Solid performance. Helped us win a hockey game," he said. "There's a couple times they could have gained some momentum, but he made some saves for us."
When Schmid spoke with the media, he referenced the team's 16 blocked shots.
"We made some timely blocked shots," said Schmid. "Most shots came from the outside. Once we got inside, they did a good job getting sticks on it or clearing rebounds."
It is an interesting statistic he brought up, as the Devils have blocked 11.71 shots per game this season, one of the league's lowest. Against Seattle, New Jersey had 16 blocked shots. Forwards Dawson Mercer, Curtis Lazar, and Jack Hughes led the way with two each.
As MSG Networks play-by-play announcer Bill Spaulding pointed out, "Schmid's 37-save performance Thursday night raised his save percentage to .902 on the year. In his last five games, he has a .921 save percentage."
The Devils were off on Friday and will play back-to-back games versus the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers this weekend. It is expected for Schmid to make at least one more start during the team's Western Canada road trip.