New Jersey Devils notes: On Schmid's strong play, improvement on the PK, and more

Akira Schmid has given the Devils consistently solid goaltending of late. Plus, notes on the penalty kill turning a corner and Timo Meier on the top line.

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A few New Jersey Devils notes on this off-day:

Akira Schmid has taken the ball

I touched on this Monday but Akira Schmid has quietly given the Devils some pretty stable goaltending of late. He hasn’t flipped a switch and become the second coming of Martin Brodeur but he has played good hockey, which is all the team needs.

Schmid has saved 1.12 Goals Above Expectation over the span of six games. That’s a pretty impressive figure when you consider he gave up 100 goals on five shots against the Sharks.

His +1.12 GSAE tucks him in just under Linus Ullmark and Igor Shesterkin over that period of time. Small sample size, sure, but the Devils getting half decent goaltending for any stretch is always going to be a big positive.

What I’ve loved from Schmid is the consistency. He hasn’t stolen a game one night and given one away the next. He has finished with his head above water in five of his past six appearances. Again, the Devils don’t need their goaltenders to steal games. They just can’t be giving them away.

Schmid has handled himself well over the past few weeks while Vitek Vanecek’s struggles have continued.

Of 44 netminders to log 200+ minutes in the crease since November 15th, Vanecek ranks 43rd in GSAE (-4.54).

Vanecek’s last game against the Flames was definitely a step in the right direction but I think the Devils should continue to be cautious with him.

Give Schmid the start against Boston on Wednesday and operate with him as the 1A. The two can split games this weekend when the Devils square off against two bottom feeders – the Blue Jackets and Ducks – in a back-to-back situation.

Progress on the PK