New Jersey goaltender Akira Schmid protects his net during the second period of Game 4 against the New York Rangers Monday in New York. Frank Franklin II/Associated Press
NEW YORK — Jonas Siegenthaler scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period, Akira Schmid had 22 saves in another shutdown start and the New Jersey Devils beat the New York Rangers 3-1 Monday night to even their first-round playoff series at two games apiece.
Jack Hughes and Ondrej Palat also scored for New Jersey, which got its second straight tight win at Madison Square Garden after a pair of lopsided losses at home.
Vincent Trocheck scored for the Rangers, and Igor Shesterkin stopped 20 shots. New York has totaled just two goals in the last two games after scoring five each in the first two.
Game 5 is at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Thursday night, with Game 6 back at MSG on Saturday night.
Schmid, making his second straight start after Vitek Vanecek allowed nine goals on 52 shots in the first two games, was sensational again for the Devils. The 22-year-old has given up just two goals on 58 shots the last two games.
He had 10 saves in the first period, six in the second and six in the third of this one.
MAPLE LEAFS 5, LIGHTNING 4: Alexander Kerfoot scored on the power play at 4:14 of overtime after Toronto wiped out a three-goal deficit in the third period, and the Maple Leafs won at Tampa, Florida, to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in their first-round playoff matchup.
Alex Killorn scored twice in helping the Lightning build a 4-1 lead that the Maple Leafs erased with three goals — two by Auston Matthews — in a span of 6:20. Morgan Rielly’s second goal of the series tied it 4-all at 16:04 of the third period.
It was the second time in three nights Toronto rallied late to force overtime. Ryan O’Reilly’s goal with 60 seconds left in regulation kept the Maple Leafs alive in Game 3, and O’Reilly won it at 19:45 of OT for a 2-1 series lead.
Mikhail Sergachev and Steven Stamkos also scored for the Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 32 shots and had a couple of big saves in the overtime period before Kerfoot redirected Mark Giordano past the goaltender for the win.
NOTES
STARS: Center Joe Pavelski skated with some teammates in another step before he can return to the playoffs from concussion protocol.
However it was still uncertain when he might be able to play again.
Coach Pete DeBoer said it was “a great sign” to see Pavelski skating in a light workout with scratched and inactive Stars players, but that he’s still not available to play. Pavelski got hurt one week earlier when he banged his head hard on the ice after a crushing blow from Minnesota defender Matt Dumba in the opener of the best-of-seven series that is now tied at 2-2.
Game 5 is Tuesday night in Dallas.
“He’s not available yet, but the fact that he’s taking this step, this is the first time back with a group of guys on the ice, that’s important,” DeBoer said.
“There’s all kinds of steps you have to take and see how you react. … The first one’s light exercise and then a little heavier and then people around you and then contact. So he’s doing all the right things.”
The 38-year-old Pavelski, whose 64 playoff goals are the most among U.S.-born players, didn’t travel with the team to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4. But he skated on his own while back at home and called DeBoer while the team was in Minnesota.
“We conversed between games,” DeBoer said. “He’s involved, he’s watching the games.”
FLYERS: Defenseman Justin Braun has decided to retire at age 36 after 13 NHL seasons.
The NHL Alumni Association announced Braun’s retirement a week and a half after he played in Philadelphia’s season finale.
Braun skated in 961 regular-season and playoff games with the San Jose Sharks, Flyers and New York Rangers. He was a key player for the Sharks when they reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2016, playing in all 24 games of their run and averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time.
Braun also helped the Rangers make the Eastern Conference final last year after they acquired him at the trade deadline from Philadelphia. He returned to the Flyers on a one-year deal, serving as mentor to many of the team’s younger players.
The Minnesota native was a seventh-round pick of San Jose’s in 2007. He made his NHL debut in 2010 and finished with 199 career points during the regular season and 16 more in the playoffs.
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