The New Jersey Devils handled their business on Friday night, taking down the Dallas Stars 5-2. Cory Schneider was absolute dominant in his second game in as many nights.
New Jersey Devils head coach John Hynes made a major decision on Friday night. He decided that he was going to ride his goalie in a situation when the backup usually makes an appearance. Cory Schneider played in back-to-back games for the first time this season. He was spectacular.
The Devils were forced to play both games against the Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens without Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri and Marcus Johansson. That’s a ton of talent on the top six to lose at once. Hopes were low going into this back to back, but the Devils were able to come out with three points in two games.
Schneider is the sole reason for that fact. The defense did play well in the overtime loss against the Canadiens, but Schneider had to make the saves to keep it 1-1 into overtime.
Then there was his performance on Friday. It was insane. In fact, just take a look at this one save and you will understand how good Schneider was.
https://twitter.com/NHL/status/941869286389403648
To say he stood on his head would be an understatement.
Schneider needed to show he had the ability to play well on back-to-back nights because of the play of Keith Kinkaid. Kinkaid is having the worst season of his career just months after some Devils fans were hoping he could take over as starter. He only has one start where he allowed less than three goals. In three of his last four starts, he allowed five goals.
More from Pucks and Pitchforks
- Should New Jersey Devils Try Load Management With Vitek Vanecek?
- New Jersey Devils Will Prove That Last Year Wasn’t A Fluke
- New Jersey Devils: Luke Hughes’ Playmaking Will Outshine His Mistakes
- New Jersey Devils: Chase Stillman’s Performance Causes Concern
- Can Devils Fans Separate Zach Parise Heartbreak From Achievements?
Where the Devils are in the standings right now, the team can’t afford to throw away games. This team is in a dog fight for the Metropolitan Division lead. If it’s so competitive in December, just imagine how important these points are in March.
Schneider has been on fire as of late. In the past ten games, he’s allowed more than two goals just three times. He gives the Devils a chance to win every single night. Especially with the plethora of injuries this team is dealing with, Schneider stepped up to the plate.
The Devils don’t play another back to back until the end of the month. They will play five more games at home before their next road game. Expect to see a lot of Cory Schneider for Christmas. It’s the best gift the Devils could hope for (besides more wins!).