The New Jersey Devils bounced back in a huge way after the Toronto Maple Leafs ended their 13-game winning streak. They destroyed the Buffalo Sabres, beating them 3-1 on Friday night. Destroyed might be an intense word, but the Devils had 60 percent of the chances and 60 percent of the high-danger chances. This was despite the Devils playing defense for most of the third period.
The Devils could stop the onslaught of Buffalo’s chances because of the man in net. Akira Schmid stopped 33 of 34 shots on the night. It was Schmid’s fourth game of the season, and he’s only allowed four goals all year. To stop 81 of 85 shots is ridiculous. He has the best save percentage of anyone in the league who’s played at least three games.
That leads us to the dilemma. The Devils came into the season with three goalies making at least $2.8 million per season. None of them are Akira Schmid. We learned on the Let’s Go Devils Podcast last week that Jonathan Bernier might have an uphill climb to return this season after his setback from hip surgery thanks to James Nichols of the Fourth Period.
We told you a few weeks ago that we shouldn’t expect Mackenzie Blackwood until Christmas. The Devils said he should be out for three to six weeks with an MCL injury. Three weeks just passed, and the Devils haven’t even let Blackwood practice. It will take him at least two weeks after he starts practicing before he is ready for game action.
The good news is Vitek Vanecek has been taking on the load easily. He has a .917 save percentage this season, going 9-2 in the record books. He’s made some really good saves, while the defense has done a good job keeping high-quality chances away from Vanecek. The combination has kept the Devils in the win column on most nights.
So, again, this is the dilemma. How could the Devils tell Schmid he has to go back to the Utica Comets, where he has to fight for playing time with Nico Daws after he played this well? Schmid has played his way into an NHL job. He deserves the backup position with the Devils. However, the Devils can’t send Blackwood down for longer than a conditioning stint. He would get claimed on waivers immediately. He also can’t be traded due to his injury history.
Tom Fitzgerald has a very hard decision to make. Would he be able to send what was his starting goalie down to the minors through waivers this early in the season? Schmid deserves a chance to keep this job. Blackwood shouldn’t lose his job due to injury. Sometimes sports aren’t fair, and it’s up to Fitzgerald to determine who gets the shaft.