Penalty shots prove too much for Devils

Devils goaltender Cory Schneider had a readymade excuse. Stopping a penalty shot is among the most difficult thing a goalie is asked to do.

And Schneider failed at it Sunday. Twice.

Lukas Sedlak and Bran- don Dubinsky scored on penalty shots and the Blue Jackets returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2014 with a 4-1 victory over the Devils in Newark.

This was only the third time in NHL history a team scored twice in a game on penalty shots. Thomas Gradin and Ivan Hlinka of Vancouver did it in 1982, and Ryane Clowe and Joe Thornton of San Jose did it in 2009.

The NHL rarity meant nothing to Schneider.

“It doesn’t matter who is out there for me. I have to find a way to make a save,” the goaltender said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Mario Lemieux or Wayne Gretzky. It’s up to me to come up with a save against whoever is out there.”

With the loss, the Devils’ season continued to slide away as they fell to 1-10-2 in their last 13 games. —