New Jersey Devils Season Grade: Cory Schneider
New Jersey Devils fans have come to expect a certain performance from goaltender Cory Schneider. Schneider sported an excellent .923 SV% his first 3 years in New Jersey. This season was a little different for Cory.
Cory’s down season was a massive factor in the New Jersey Devils performance this year. Would the Devils have made the playoffs if he was better? Probably not, but still. Let’s take a deeper look at Schneider’s 2016-17 season.
All Situations Statistics
| Games Played | Wins | Losses | OT | Goals Against | Shots Against |
| 60 | 20 | 27 | 11 | 163 | 1781 |
| Saves | SV% | GAA | Shutouts | Minutes | Quality Starts |
| 1618 | 0.908 | 2.82 | 2 | 3473 | 27 |
5v5 Statistics
| Shots Against | SV% | Goals Against | Low Danger SA | Low Danger GA | Low Danger SV% |
| 1393 | 92.23 | 106 | 555 | 14 | 97.48 |
| Medium Danger SA | Medium Danger GA | Medium Danger SV% | High Danger SA | High Danger GA | High Danger SV% |
| 526 | 46 | 91.25 | 283 | 46 | 83.75 |
Season Overview
Might be hard to remember, but Cory had a decent start to the season. The Devils were winning and Cory was 7-3-2. Then it seemed to fall apart. Cory had a better than .920 SV% in only 17 of the next 48 games. I don’t need to tell you how poor that is for a goalie of Schneider’s caliber.
Cory would still have great stretches during the year. From January 2-17, Cory went 4-2-2 and posted a .936 SV% and one shutout. The Devils didn’t help him much either. The team averaged a measly 2.16 goals per game average during the run.
From February 4-21, Schneider would put together a 4-3 run with a .951 SV%. The Devils averaged a measly 2.14 goals per game in that span, which doesn’t really shock anyone.
Unfortunately, Cory would have more lows than highs this season. He would get pulled 3 times, against the Leafs, Kings, and Coyotes despite the fact the Kings and Coyotes rank 25th and 27th in goals for this year.
You could also see that Cory was visibly frustrated much more this year. Whether it was a bad goal, or the team in front of him failing to defend, Schneider was more upset this year than any other year as a Devil.
So, Where Did It All Go Wrong?
Well, to start, Schneider was not good on the penalty kill. Out of goalies with at least 150 minutes of shorthanded time, he ranked 32nd in SV% with an .855%. His PK numbers are one of the reasons the New Jersey Devils ranked 23rd in PK, a stat past Devils teams excelled.
Schneider’s Medium Danger SV% and High Danger SV% also dropped from the previous year. In 2015-16, Cory had a MDSV% of 94.46% and a HDSV% of 84.40%. Those dropped to a 91.25% and a 83.75%. That’s a big drop off in today’s NHL.
Those numbers, combined with his poor performance on the PK, can give us an idea of why Schneider’s numbers dropped this year. Even with those stretches of good performances, Schneider couldn’t save his poor statistics.
It also doesn’t help that the Devils were a tire fire this year. The Devils had a CorsiFor% of 47.87% at 5v5. The only teams with lower a 5v5 CF% were the Coyotes, Sabres, and Islanders. The Devils also had the fewest 5v5 Corsi events out of any team, and had the lowest 5v5 CF60. That doesn’t even begin to describe the amount of blunders and screens Cory had to deal with this season. The team being poor doesn’t fully excuse his play, but it helps put things into perspective.
Final Season Grade: C+
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Schneider’s numbers speak for themselves. He had brilliant stretches during the year, but for the most part, he wasn’t himself. Yes, the New Jersey Devils were horrible in front of him, but that can’t fully excuse everything.
I think a C+ is fair. The Devils ride and die with Cory. If he’s good, they have a chance to win, but when he’s not, it can get ugly. It was ugly a lot this year. That being said, without Cory, this team is potentially fighting with the historically bad Colorado Avalanche for who could have the worse season.
Schneider should bounce back next year. I don’t know how much better the defense will be in front of him, but the young guys are a year older. The Devils will also get some more speed and skill with the addition of guys like McLeod, who should make the team next year. Cory is a fantastic goalie, one of the best in the league, and this year was the exception to that, not the rule.
(Statistics via Hockey-Reference.com and Corsica.hockey)