The biggest question for the New Jersey Devils going into game three is who is going to play in net. Cory Schneider came in relief of Keith Kinkaid in game two, and allowed no goals. It’s time to see what they have in their $6 million man.
This is the hardest decision of the season so far for New Jersey Devils coach John Hynes. He’s returning home from a disastrous first two games of the series, in which his team gave up 10 goals on 57 shots.
Hynes has to choose between the man who carried this team on his back to drag them to the playoffs, or the guy who played stellar in relief. Keith Kinkaid is the reason the Devils are in the postseason for the first time in six years. He went 7-0-1 in his last eight games to finish the season. Cory Schneider literally doesn’t have a win since New Year’s Day.
You want to know the last time Schneider won a game? It came the game BEFORE Taylor Hall was robbed of a game-winning goal against the Buffalo Sabres. Remember that terrible night? It seems like forever ago. Well, the game before that is when Schneider last recorded a win.
So, no matter what, the Devils should go with Kinkaid, right? Well, as you know already, that’s not the position this article is going in.
So, why should the Devils go with Schneider in game three? Well, the sumple answer is he was great against the Tampa Bay Lightning for the final 24 minutes of game two.
The Devils have been playing the hot hand for a majority of the season. That’s how they got here in the first place. Kinkaid is decidedly not the hot hand. Schneider may have played mop up duty, but he made two miraculous saves to keep the Lightning at five.
That was the stuff of Schneider we haven’t seen since December. At one point, Schneider was carrying this team. This short stretch on Saturday gave Devils fans flashbacks.
I went back and watched every single goal against Kinkaid in game two. No, none of them were “his fault” except maybe the fifth goal. On that one, he lost his stick, which caused him to get stuck in a bad position, then Alex Killorn threw the puck in a mostly empty net.
Besides that, he let goals in on two tips, a breakaway after a defensive miscommunication and one Sami Vatanen literally forced it in with his stick. So while one can’t blame Kinkaid for allowing five goals, he did allow five goals in two games. He’s been average at best. Average is not good enough.
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To have a chance against the Lightning, the Devils need extraordinary in net. While Cory Schneider hasn’t put together a great 60 minutes, the 24 he’s played in the playoffs so far is much better than what we’ve seen from Kinkaid.
Schneider also has some playoff experience. Especially in relief. In 2012, he was very good, allowing four goals in three games. In 2013, he was very bad, allowing nine goals in two games. Either way, Schneider knows what it’s like to play in the playoffs. He did it in three different postseasons. Now, he’s about to start in his fourth.
The leash for Schneider will not be long. If he allows a bad goal, the Hynes may need to make another change. Either way, the Devils need someone who has the ability to steal a game. Kinkaid isn’t that guy right now. Schneider might not be either, but we won’t know until we try.