Winner of Rangers-Devils Game 7 debated by NHL.com

The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils will play Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Prudential Center on Monday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS, MSG, MSGSN).

The winner will advance to the second round and play the Carolina Hurricanes, who eliminated the New York Islanders with a 2-1 overtime victory in Game 6 at UBS Arena on Friday.
Either the Devils (52-22-8) or Rangers (47-22-13) will begin the second round on the road because the Hurricanes (52-21-9) had a better regular-season record. Carolina won the Metropolitan Division with 113 points, one more than New Jersey and six ahead of New York.
The Rangers defeated the Devils 5-2 in Game 6 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday to even the best-of-7 series.
RELATED: [Complete Devils vs. Rangers series coverage]
The Devils are 7-7 in Game 7s, 3-2 at home. Goalies Akira Schmid and Vitek Vanecek have not played a Game 7. Coach Lindy Ruff is 0-4.
The Rangers are 11-6 in Game 7, 3-5 on the road. They were 2-0 last season, defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in overtime in the first round at Madison Square Garden and the Hurricanes 6-2 in the second round at PNC Arena.
Igor Shesterkin won each Game 7 for the Rangers in the 2022 playoffs, making 39 saves against the Penguins and 37 against the Hurricanes. Jaroslav Halak is 2-1 with a 1.68 goals-against average and .953 save percentage. Coach Gerard Gallant is 2-1.
Numbers go out the window in a Game 7, especially between fierce rivals who share a deep playoff history, so we asked 10 staffers for their opinion on who will win Game 7.

Devils

This series has me at a loss. There's no rhyme nor reason for either of these teams winning, whether it's when they win, where they win or how they win. But I like the way the Devils bounced back in Games 3 and 4, even when the momentum dictated the series could be over. I think they'll find what they found in those games again, right themselves and win Game 7. They have young legs, young blood and, in this situation, I kind of feel like they have nothing to lose (other than, you know, the series). I'm going with my gut and going with my pick at the start of the series. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer
Experience is invaluable in the playoffs and the Rangers certainly have benefited from theirs during this series. But the young Devils have already done a lot of learning on the fly and got another lesson with their loss in Game 6. Nothing comes easy in the playoffs, even if it felt that way for the Devils in Game 5. They rebounded from losing the first two games of the series at home by winning three straight and must regroup again. The Rangers had some top players who had been quiet, such as Mika Zibanejad, breakthrough in Game 6. It will be Timo Meier's turn for the Devils in Game 7. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer
It's been a whirlwind of a series and the lesson I've learned is when you think you know which team has the momentum, better think again. There are two things that could prevent New Jersey from winning its first Game 7 against New York in three tries: Shesterkin and too many penalties. Each was on full display in Game 6. The Devils need a push from their top offensive players, too, including Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Meier, who have combined for no goals in this series. I think that'll change in this must-win situation, providing the spark in what should be another Devils-Rangers fantastic finish. -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer
Honestly, give me a quarter to flip in the air because that's how much trouble I'm having with choosing between these two. The Rangers won the backs-against-the-wall Game 6 on Saturday, but I've been most impressed by how the Devils rebounded from losing the first two games. I like the Devils, from Erik Haula, Jack Hughes and Hischier supplying the offense to Schmid, whose feel-good story was slightly marred when he was pulled after allowing five goals in Game 6. He'll bounce back. I think the Devils will, too, and advance. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer
The Devils have forced a Game 7 without getting a point from Meier, the forward they brought in from the San Jose Sharks before the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline to be a difference-maker, specifically against the Rangers. Meier has had an impact with his physical play needling the Rangers at times, but he needs to score. He will Monday, cementing his legacy in the storied history of this rivalry when the Devils win and advance to play the Hurricanes -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

Rangers

I have a rule when making picks: Be wrong once. In other words, don't change course from your original pick when you still have a chance to look smart (even if you really have a chance to be lucky), so I'm sticking with the Rangers. Before the series, I certainly thought the Devils could win, but figured the Rangers had the edge in goal with Shesterkin, and they had plenty of difference-makers in front of him, especially with the additions of forwards Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko. To be honest, I have no idea what will happen, and that's the fun of it. Game 7 in the Battle of the Hudson. I'm going to enjoy it either way, even if I turn out to be wrong. -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist
This series makes no sense. There was zero analysis that would suggest the Devils could bounce back from the back-to-back four-goal losses in Games 1 and 2. But they did. They won three in a row, Games 4 and 5 in dominant fashion, which left me with zero analysis to suggest the Rangers could win Game 6. But they did, in dominant fashion. So here we are, and I'm admittedly lost with no real idea what to expect in Game 7. However, experience matters. Goaltending matters more. The Rangers have each. They're 6-1 in potential elimination games since the start of the 2022 playoffs. They're 2-0 in Game 7s. Shesterkin has been their best player and it's not even close. The series has turned, and I think the Rangers will roll with it into the second round. They love this living-on-the-edge stuff. Artemi Panarin has his first big game of the postseason and the Rangers get it done in Newark. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer
I picked the Devils to win, thinking it wouldn't go seven games. Now that it has, I'm flipping to the Rangers. Some key elements occurred in Game 6 that bode well for Rangers in Game 7. They scored five times on 29 shots to rattle goalie Akira Schmid. They have no such worries with Shesterkin, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner voted as the best goalie in the NHL. Zibanejad scored his first goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, giving the Rangers another threat in Game 7 with Tarasenko, Chris Kreider and Kane. Game 7 pressure shouldn't faze the Rangers, who won three straight elimination games to defeat the Penguins last season. -- William Douglas, staff writer
This best-of-7 series has perhaps not played out as expected, with the Rangers winning the first two games in Newark and the Devils responding with two wins in New York. But the Rangers have been the better team for longer stretches and should prevail in Game 7 despite not having home-ice advantage. New York is the more playoff savvy team and experience comes into play in Game 7. Kreider is wielding a hot stick and Zibanejad getting his first goal of the series in Game 6 is big. Expect the Rangers' elite players to show up in the biggest game of the season and be too much for the Devils' young stars to handle. -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer
I picked the Rangers to go all the way to the Stanley Cup Final (before losing to the Edmonton Oilers) so I'm not going to shy away from them now. But man, they make it tough with their Jekyll and Hyde act. Which version of this skilled team will we see? The one that played up to its high talent level in Games 1, 2 and 6 or the sputtering one that lost the other three games and at times had frustrated coach Gerard Gallant shaking his head in disbelief? In the end, I'm putting my faith in Shesterkin. He won Game 7s against the Penguins and Hurricanes in 2022. I'm confident he'll do it again. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer