The New Jersey Devils will be without Cory Schneider for at least two weeks after the goaltender suffered a knee injury. Schneider was diagnosed with a knee sprain and will be re-evaluated after two weeks.
Schneider was injured against the Dallas Stars on Friday night while attempting to make a save. Coach John Hynes said that Schneider is dealing with a Grade 1 MCL sprain, and that will keep him out for at least two weeks. The Devils announced that Schneider would miss the game on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins and recalled Yann Danis to serve as the backup for Keith Kinkaid.
Kinkaid came in to replace Schneider against the Stars, and he likely will get the majority of starts moving forward for the Devils. Kinkaid made 24 saves against the Penguins on Sunday in the 6-1 loss for the Devils. Schneider has put up solid numbers for New Jersey this season, going 26-23-6 with a .923 save percentage. Schneider also has four shutouts.
The Devils are fighting for playoff position in the Eastern Conference, and losing Schneider to an injury will only make that tougher. The Devils have lost eight of the last 10 games, and that will put pressure on Kinkaid to play up to the standard that Schneider has set. Schneider is ranked in the top five in the league in goals against average. Kinkaid has played in 15 games for the Devils this season, posting a 5-6-1 record with a 2.74 goals against average.
Schneider has been the main reason why the Devils have remained in the playoff race this season. The team is slumping as of late, but his play has been All-Star level, and now the team will have to overcome his absence.
The team is six points behind the Detroit Red Wings for the second wild card spot in the East. New Jersey is tied with the Carolina Hurricanes in the overall standings, and it is two points behind the Philadelphia Flyers. The Devils would have to jump both of those teams and the Red Wings to get into playoff position this season.
