Keith Kinkaid started Games 1 and 2 at Amalie Arena, but allowed four goals on 31 shots in a 5-2 loss in Game 1 on Thursday and was lifted in the second period of Game 2 on Saturday after giving up five goals on 15 shots in a 5-3 loss. Schneider relieved him at 13:12 of the second period and made 10 saves without giving up a goal.
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"Cory has been a big part of our team, I never wavered once even down the stretch or in the playoffs," Devils coach John Hynes said. "We have two very good goaltenders and Keith played extremely well, and we're not taking Keith out really because he was bad. It's because we have two guys we feel can both help us win and it's an opportunity to get Cory back in the net. He came in Game 2 and played pretty well, and that was good to see so we'll give him an opportunity here at home."
Schneider, 32, finished 17-16-6 with a 2.93 goals-against average and .907 save percentage in 40 games this season. He was 0-10-2 in his last 12 starts and missed more than a month with a hip/groin injury sustained in a 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Jan. 23. His last win came on Dec. 27, when he made 31 saves in a 3-1 victory against the Detroit Red Wings.
Schneider was acquired in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on June 30, 2013. He's 161-140-52 with a 2.36 GAA, .920 save percentage and 24 shutouts since entering the League in 2008-09 with the Canucks, who chose him with the No. 26 pick in the 2004 NHL Draft.
Kinkaid, 28, who spent most of the previous three seasons as Schneider's backup, took advantage of the opportunity to play and finished 26-10-3 with a 2.77 GAA and .913 save percentage, helping the Devils reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since they advanced to the Final in 2012. He is 49-37-11 with a 2.72 GAA, .912 save percentage and four shutouts in 110 NHL games, all with the Devils, who signed him as a free agent on April 18, 2011.
