New Jersey Devils goalie Cory Schneider will be out on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins after suffering an injury on Friday night. The Devils have recalled Yann Danis from their AHL affiliate to be the backup for Keith Kinkaid with Schneider sidelined.
Schneider was injured in the third period after making save on a shot from Jason Spezza during the game against the Dallas Stars. Schneider hit the post of the goal with his leg, and struggled to get up after making the save. Schneider skated off the ice slowly towards the locker room and was replaced by Kinkaid.
The Devils announced that Schneider will be evaluated on Saturday, and that the team will give an update to his status on Sunday. It's likely that Schneider is dealing with a day-to-day injury. Schneider made 15 saves in the game before leaving with the injury, while Kinkaid had six saves. The team did not clarify exactly what the injury was, saying it's only a "lower-body injury."
"We'll have to see what the evaluation is on him and see where he is in a couple days," coach John Hynes said.
Schneider will be out for the matchup against the Penguins at the Prudential Center on Sunday, leaving Danis to back up Kinkaid. The 34-year-old goalie has put up a 25-9-0 record with a 2.28 goals-against average for Albany in the American Hockey League. Schneider had started eight of the last nine games for the Devils before getting injured.
Schneider has been the main reason for the Devils' success this season, as he has put up a 2.17 goals against average and .923 save percentage. Schneider has gone 26-23-6 this season while posting four shutouts. The team has been in a bit of a slump lately as they try and make a playoff push, winning only two of the past nine games.
The Devils are hoping that the injury to Schneider is a short one, as the team is trying to make the playoffs. New Jersey has 69 points this season and they are tied with the Philadelphia Flyers with 69 points. The two teams are ninth in the overall standings, five points back of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second wild card. The first wild card team is the Detroit Red Wings with 75 points.
