November and December were months to forget for New Jersey Devils goalie Cory Schneider.
But after posting uncharacteristically poor numbers for an unusually long period of time, Schneider has kicked off the new year in such a way that gives New Jersey reason to hope for a playoff push down the stretch.
It's only been two games, but the Devils could not have asked for a better performance out of Schneider:
| Date | Opponent | Result | Shots Against | Save % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 2 | Bruins | W 3-0 | 22 | 1.000 |
| Jan. 3 | Hurricanes | W 3-1 | 30 | .967 |
The back-to-back wins were the first recorded by Schneider since early November, a month in which he posted an .893 save percentage, a number that dropped to .887 in December.
The Devils sit six points back of a wild-card spot, and recognize Schneider must be at the top of his game in order to remain competitive.
Ben Lovejoy calls Cory Schneider "our superstar." "He is our best player."
— Andrew Gross (@AGrossRecord) January 4, 2017
Schneider's season save percentage sits at .908, well down from his career average of .923. A few more strong performances will help balance that out even further, and give the Devils a fighting chance moving forward.
Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.