Pucks and Pitchforks
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Devils: Cory Schneider has once again lost his confidence

By Brian Freitag

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 09: Cory Schneider #35 and Taylor Hall #9 of the New Jersey Devils defend against Sean Couturier #14 and Travis Konecny #11 of the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on October 09, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 09: Cory Schneider #35 and Taylor Hall #9 of the New Jersey Devils defend against Sean Couturier #14 and Travis Konecny #11 of the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center on October 09, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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The New Jersey Devils are desperate for consistent goaltending, What happened to preseason Cory Schneider? It looks like he’s lost his confidence yet again.

Since being absolutely dominant in the preseason, it appears as if Cory Schneider has lost his ability to close out games, even if the team in front of him has been playing poorly he has not stepped up to the plate. Looking at the numbers Schneider has put up in his four starts it becomes painfully obvious how low his save percentage has dropped since the start of the regular season.

While in no way do I believe preseason is an accurate marker for regular-season success, looking at you Ty Smith, it should stand to reason that a goalie playing well in the pre-season coming back from injury should be able to carry moderate amounts of success over to the regular season.

Confidence has been a big issue for Schneider since the start of 2018 where he struggled to win a game, lasting 14 months. Should these issues resurface for Schneider, the Devils will likely look to Blackwood as their starter due to the Devil’s lack of defensive depth.

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Looking at Schneider’s current save percentage (.876SV%) and goals against average (4.09GAA), we can see glaring issues in his current play, especially when comparing it to his pre-season save percentage (.951SV%).

While in his four starts the Devils looked like a shell of the team they were during the preseason, it should be noted that Cory currently ranks as the third-worst in the league for save percentage and second-worst in goals against average. The only goalie worse in both categories than Schneider is Jonathan Quick, whose numbers are likely skewed due to a small sample size and the Kings 8-2 defeat to the Canucks.

Looking at the Devils game against the Canucks demonstrates just how important a goalie is to the team, the Devils did not look good, but Mackenzie Blackwood managed to come away with the win.

Following the Canucks game, it should be expected that the Devils elect to run Blackwood over Schneider until Blackwood’s play begins to falter. Goaltenders need to be able to steal games and step up when the team needs it the most, it is arguably the most important position on the ice and can make or break a lineup. This is why Cory Schneider has been far and away one of the most lackluster Devils to start the season.

Last season, Schneider broke his winless streak following a 5-4 comeback win over the Minnesota Wild where he came in for relief of Kinkaid. That no doubt built his confidence and allowed him to have a moderately productive end of the season. Once Schneider gets his first big win he should snap back into form. Pre-season Cory Schneider demonstrated he is capable of making the big saves, it is up to regular season Cory Schneider to overcome the mental blocks and backstop the Devils to success.

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