Pucks and Pitchforks
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5 New Jersey Devils Players We’ve Lost Confidence In This Season

By Nick Villano

NEWARK, NJ - OCTOBER 4: Jack Hughes #86 of the New Jersey Devils during warm ups prior to taking on the Winnipeg Jets at the Prudential Center on October 4, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - OCTOBER 4: Jack Hughes #86 of the New Jersey Devils during warm ups prior to taking on the Winnipeg Jets at the Prudential Center on October 4, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images) /
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New Jersey Devils – Cory Schneider #35 (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Cory Schneider

The biggest concern for the New Jersey Devils coming into this past season was the goaltender position. Mackenzie Blackwood was coming off a strong first season, but he had struggled in the past and there were worried he could be a one-hit wonder. Then, there was Cory Schneider. He was once again coming off a bad season where he gave us hope at the end. He had a great final stretch to the 2018-19 season, a strong showing at the World Championships, and a dominant performance during the preseason.

Well, it didn’t take long for Schneider to fall apart. On game one, he was looking good against the Winnipeg Jets. Then, a certain side-to-side save changed the trajectory of the whole season. He ended up getting injured at the end of the second period. The Devils ended up blowing a four-goal lead, and Schneider was terrible for the rest of the season.

Things would only get worse before they got better. The then 33 year old put up a .847 save percentage over the rest of October. The rest of the season went terribly. Schneider never really regained his form. He was eventually sent down to Binghamton, where there were times he was even the backup there.

Now, no matter what he does fans will be worried about it all falling apart. Or, his next injury that’s going to end Schneider’s season/effectiveness. Could Schneider bounce back enough to be a decent backup? Probably, but it’s going to be very, very hard to gain the confidence of the fanbase again. For the first few games, we see Schneider in net, we’re going to be waiting for the next shoe to fall and the goals to start going in.

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