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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 Womens Anze Kopitar Jersey , 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.
”We felt as a group that Cory had worked hard, he looked good in practice and you could tell that he was itching to play,” Hynes said. ”It just seemed the way the series was going, let’s give him an opportunity to play. I think he was fresh and hungry.”
Hynes said it was nice to see him play well because of how he handled not being the backup, a job that doesn’t attract the media to your locker.
When Schneider came out on Tuesday John Carlson Jersey , a crowd quickly surrounded him.
Brian Boyle, who has more playoff experience than any player on the Devils roster, said having Schneider play well will push Kinkaid.
”There is a lot of internal competition,” Boyle said. ”Guys want to get out and play. Those two want the net. They want to play, and when you play, you want to play more. If you channel energies the right way it will bring position energies for your team.”
The goal for the Devils and Schneider will be to repeat their efforts in Game 4.
”That game is done with. It’s over,” Schneider said of Game 3. ”It doesn’t matter how good you feel about it afterward. It all depends on how you come out the next game. We know they are going to regroup and be ready for us so it should be a good battle.”
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COSTA MESA, Calif. (AP) Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa set an NFL record with 19 sacks in his first 20 career games.
He recorded at least 10 1/2 sacks in each of his first two seasons, but Bosa and the Chargers insist the best is yet to come.
”I think there’s so much I have to work on that I have an idea in my head of what I want things to look like and how I want to be as a player, and I’m not anywhere near those things Brendan Leipsic Jersey Kids , but I know I’m making the right steps in that direction,” Bosa said Sunday.
Cornerback Casey Hayward has never been shy in sharing his belief that Bosa could become the best defender in football. It was only reinforced last season as Bosa’s pass rush skills helped contribute to Hayward intercepting four passes.
”Made my life a lot easier,” Hayward said. ”A couple of my picks last year came off Joey hitting the guy, wobbly ball, I take all of them.”
Entering his third season, the next step in Bosa’s development could come from a better understanding of coordinator Gus Bradley’s 4-3 defense. The Chargers were productive in 2017 while transitioning to Bradley’s system, finishing third in points per game allowed, tied for fifth in sacks, and sixth in takeaways. Those rankings could improve as the coaches, players and front office are more comfortable with what will allow the defense to succeed in this iteration.
The Chargers added depth in the draft Sergei Bobrovsky Jersey , with Bosa praising defensive lineman Justin Jones and linebacker Uchenna Nwosu for their ability to get to the quarterback. The progression of second-year defensive end Isaac Rochell could result in Bosa staying fresh by allowing Bradley to rotate more. The 280-pound Bosa could play inside if Rochell is capable of creating pressure off the edge consistently, allowing Bradley to use his most disruptive players together in obvious passing situations.
Bosa, who had 12 1/2 sacks last season as the bookend to Melvin Ingram, could cause more havoc if opponents cannot focus all their attention on stopping the two standout defensive ends.
”Joey can improve,” coach Anthony Lynn said. ”I don’t think he has reached his peak yet at all, and the better we get on that defensive line and create more one-on-one matchups, that’s going to help his success as well.”
But Bosa will never put a target on his individual production going into his season after recognizing that chasing personal goals often comes at the expense of both the individual and the team.
”If you want to get 15 sacks and you’re out there doing your own things to get sacks, more than likely you’re going to hurt the team and not get a sack rather than you just doing your job and you falling into one,” Bosa said. ”I’ve come to realize when I’m really out there trying to make a play like that, I do something wrong and they’ll break a run or whatever. But if I I stay within myself and the defense Jonathan Huberdeau Jersey , it usually works out pretty well.”
Bosa’s zen mentality carries over to his offseason workouts. He stresses developing his overall athleticism rather than addressing any particular football technique. That regiment makes the first week of training camp something of a transition period, with Bosa joking he is focused on ”lining up right.”
Still, Hayward sees how Bosa approaches the game spilling over to the rest of the team. If Bosa can improve on his momentous initial returns, that bodes well for the Chargers as a whole.
”That’s definitely contagious. You see that, you want to work just as hard as he does,” Hayward said.
NOTES: Rookie tight end Austin Roberts tore his ACL on Saturday, Lynn said. . The Chargers will practice in full pads for the first time Monday.
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