NEWARK — Cory Schneider admitted his game wasn’t on his usual level at points this season.
Even after good performances, a four or five-goal outing would follow during a November and December stretch where the Devils’ goalie allowed more than four goals nine times.
“The hallmark of my career so far has been consistency. Night in, night out, you kind of know what you’re going to get,” Schneider said. “I think that’s wavered a little this year, which for me, it’s something I take pride in. I want to be better and more consistent for my teammates on a nightly basis.”
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Schneider said his game has been closer to what he expects since the calendar turned to 2017. Now he feels like he is in the mindset to keep it that way.
“I always try to play at a certain level. It hasn’t always gone that way so far this year, but since the New Year, I think I’ve done a better job of playing like a I can and being more consistent.”
In 14 games in January and February, Schneider allowed just 25 goals, good for a GAA of 2.06 in that span. His GAA for the season is still 2.66 — a career worst — but it is down from a 2.91 mark he sported in December.
An NHL scout, who asked to keep his name and organization anonymous, said Schneider has shown plenty of good, but he saw the struggles at points this season.
“I saw a few games where he was noticeably fighting it,” the scout said. “When you have a goalie who’s fighting it a little bit, it’s the job of the team in front of him to help him through it, and sometimes, the team didn’t do it.”
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But even if his teammates have struggled around him, Schneider has always been quick to shoulder any blame. Even in the team’s 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres before the bye week, Schneider knew he needed to be better on the one goal allowed, a sharp angle shot from Tyler Ennis on the red line
“I just squared up ice a little bit, looking for a late guy he might hit with a pass,” Schneider said. “As soon as you kind of lean that way and he snaps it, you know you’re in trouble. As soon as he whipped it on net there, I got caught in an awkward spot. Completely my fault to not follow him through and worry about the other guys later.”
Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com Devils on Facebook.
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