Devils’ Schneider makes the most of start

NEWARK, N.J. » Cory Schneider is no longer the forgotten man on the New Jersey Devils.

It’s amazing what a good game in the playoffs can do for a veteran goaltender relegated to a backup role over the past month because Keith Kinkaid had been playing so well in leading the Devils to their first playoff berth since 2012.

The 32-year-old Schneider got his chance to play in a meaningful game when the Tampa Bay Lightning smoked the Devils in the opening two games of the first-round series, outscoring them 10-5.

The Devils turned to Schneider for Game 3 on Monday night and he made the most of it. He stopped 34 shots in a 5-2 win that allowed New Jersey to cut the Lightning lead in the series to 2-1 with Game 4 scheduled for Wednesday night.

It was his first win since late December and snapped a 0-10-2 personal skid for the likable Devils’ mainstay who was never the

same in the final months of the season after sustaining hip and groin injuries in the latter part of January.

“Your job in these situations is to come in and win,” Schneider said Tuesday after not taking part in a skate mostly for players who were scratched on Monday.

“I have said all along, I haven’t tried to veer from what I have been doing. It hasn’t gone my way recently for a number of reasons we don’t have to get into. I just viewed the playoffs as a fresh start, a new season and it didn’t matter what happened before.”

Schneider said there was no need to carry an extra baggage into the playoffs. He was just excited to have a chance to rise to the challenge. He did and so did his teammates in rallying for four third-period goals to get back into the series.

Devils coach John Hynes would not say on Tuesday whether Schneider would start, but it seems a good bet he will.

Hynes said going with Schneider — his No. 1 goaltender the past three seasons— in Game 3 was not a gamble. He had wanted to play him down the stretch of the regular season but Kinkaid was too hot, going 10-1-1 in the 12 games that led to the Devils clinching a playoff berth.