• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
New Jersey Devils

Crease Consistency Is Key for Cory Schneider

By Corey Spina November 12th, 2014

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

What goaltender Cory Schneider’s doing now isn’t something Devil fans haven’t seen before. With last night’s 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild, Schneider has started the Devils first 16 games of the season and looks in line to break Martin Brodeur’s consecutive start record in Devils history. Brodeur had 17 straight starts to open the 2002 season, and 19 consecutive appearances to begin the 2001 campaign.

Upcoming Plans

The Devils have another set of back-to-back games coming up as they play in Washington against the Capitals on Friday, and then come home to square off with the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. Now it’s easy to say that it’s a great opportunity to start Keith Kinkaid in one of those two games, however after Monday’s loss to the Boston Bruins, we all thought Kinkaid would get the start last night. Turns out we were all wrong, as Pete Deboer came out and once again proclaimed Cory Schneider as the nights starting goaltender. What’s to stop the Devils head coach from pulling the same maneuver in these next set of games?

Basically nothing as Deboer has stated multiple times that Schneider’s his guy and no matter the situation, he’s going to roll with the 28-year-old goaltender.

The main question though, is should he? There isn’t a question that at this rate, Schneider is looking to start at least 65 game if not more. The problem is whether its fatigue, lack of practice time, or what have you, Schneider’s overall play this season has been inconsistent.

Before last night’s game where he made 24 saves in the win, along with four highlight-reel saves, Schneider allowed four goals in every game of the three-game road trip. Throughout the early part of the season, we saw a couple of great games out of Schneider only to see him get pounded in the next set of contest.

Let’s be fair here though; this is Schneider’s first tour of duty as a full-time NHL starter. Very seldom do we see a goaltender become a starter and light it up consistently throughout the season. There’s going to be up’s and downs with any goaltenders development, however at this point in his career, Schneider needs to begin showing more consistency in his game.

Should Schneider Take a Seat?

Nobody knows Cory Schneider better Cory Schneider. However Pete Deboer may be a close second.

Deboer could have easily given Schneider a rest in hopes of him coming back against Washington and having a good performance. However, Deboer went with his gut feeling, and thankfully for him and the Devils, it worked out. “He’s our guy. I think when you have a guy that’s struggling a little bit, you’ve got two choices. You either sit him and hope taking a step back fixes it or you let him play through it and find his game again.”

After the win Schneider said, “I was pretty determined that we had to get a win tonight and, again, personally, I had to be better.”

The only goal Schneider allowed was on a crazy play shorthanded. Schneider played the puck off the glass in the corner which deflected right to the stick of ex-Devil Ryan Carter. Carter quickly corralled the puck off the boards and slipped a shot through Schneider as he tried to recover.

Schneider joked, “Like I was saying to the guys, I thought we should work on our one-goal leads instead of our two-goal leads.” On a more serious tone he said, “Only I can fix those things, but I think I’ve had more of those so far this year already than I had my whole career. It’s on me.”

Schneider isn’t wrong as it seems every game, at least in the past three, some kind of crazy goal is getting by him.

Mike Cammalleri who had the game-winner in the second period said, “He was by far our best player tonight and there was a lot of will there. He decided that we were going to win the game, it seemed, and that was it.”

Tempering Expectations

(Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports)

(Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports)

Even though Schneider’s started every game thus far, it’s not like he’s going to start every game for the rest of the season. There’s a reason the feat of starting all 82 games in a season hasn’t ever been accomplished. It’s obvious at this point that even though Schneider played well last night, he needs a rest, and his statistics back up that claim.

Through the first 16 games Schneider has a .904 SV% and a 2.86 GAA. Ok numbers, not great though; and if the Devils are going to make the playoffs, they need his .921 SV% and 1.97 GAA from last year. Bad stretches can happen with any goaltender, however if Schneider continues to start at this rate, then at some point within the next month, Schneider’s most-likely going to have another stretch of games where he allows four or more goals on consecutive nights.

It’s going to be a challenge to get Schneider the necessary amount of rest he needs to be consistent. However if the Devils can find a happy medium with their star goaltender, then expect many wins to follow.

Like/Dislike? Leave a Comment Below!

  • Tags
  • Cory Schneider
  • Martin Brodeur
  • Peter DeBoer
  • Ryan Carter
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 26th 1:55 PM
Anaheim Ducks

NHL Rumors: Blue Jackets, Jets, Ducks, Canadiens, More

Jan 26th 1:35 PM
Nashville Predators

Predators Need to Fix the Penalty Kill

Jan 26th 1:25 PM
Previews and Predictions

Capitals’ Keys to Success in Revenge Games Versus Islanders

Jan 26th 1:16 PM
Archives

Wayne Gretzky – The Great One’s 10 Most Unbreakable Records

Jan 26th 12:15 PM
NHL Expansion

Kraken Expansion Draft Targets on Maple Leafs Roster

Jan 26th 12:05 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Oilers’ Yamamoto Off to Strong Start in 2020-21

Jan 26th 11:55 AM
Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche Weekly: A Slow Start From Depth Forwards

Jan 26th 11:45 AM
Boston Bruins

Bruins’ Fourth Line Needs to Be Part of Winning Formula

Jan 26th 11:35 AM
Calgary Flames

Flames’ Tkachuk Not At Fault in Latest Controversy Despite Reputation

Jan 26th 11:25 AM
NHL Goaltending

Wild’s Backup Goaltender Kahkonen Stands Tall

Editor’s Picks
Wayne Gretzky - The Great One's 10 Most Unbreakable Records

Wayne Gretzky - The Great One's 10 Most Unbreakable Records

Test Your Wayne Gretzky Knowledge With Our Quiz

Test Your Wayne Gretzky Knowledge With Our Quiz

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information