New Jersey Devils: 5 Most Surprising Stats Of 12-Game Winning Streak

Akira Schmid and Vitek Vanecek save percentages: .971 and .941

You know this season is special when even the goalies are playing out of their minds. Only one goalie who’s played at least three games has a better save percentage in this stretch than Akira Schmid’s .971. Jeremy Swayman has an equally ridiculous .976 for the Boston Bruins. Vitek Vanecek has played a ton since Mackenzie Blackwood suffered a knee injury. He has a .941 save percentage in 10 games. That’s good for 16th in the league since October 23rd.

Vanecek made it very easy for Lindy Ruff when Blackwood comes back. He is the bonafide starter until he proves otherwise. The big question is actually whether Schmid has earned his right to stay in the NHL and be Vanecek’s backup. That’s incredibly complicated, but there are a lot of complications that come to mind. For one, money has to be part of the equation for Schmid. His salary with the Devils is $850,000. It’s $65,000 when he plays for the Utica Comets. That is not an insignificant part of this equation, especially for someone who isn’t a first-round pick or guaranteed a future roster spot.

That’s something the Devils can put off for the next few weeks. For now, Devils fans can enjoy the fact the Devils can stop the puck. The defense is really helping them by keeping hard shots away, but the goalies still have to stop the shots. They are doing that at an elite level.