NEWARK, N.J. -- New Jersey goaltender Cory Schneider, starting in place of Keith Kinkaid, made 34 saves to help the Devils claw their way back into their first-round series with Tampa Bay on Monday night, beating the Lightning 5-2 in Game 3.
Schneider, who seemed to hurt his groin in a collision with Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh midway through the final period, survived a late power play to nail down the win.
It was Schneider's first playoff win since 2012, when he was with the Vancouver Canucks, and his first win with the Devils since Dec. 27. Schneider had gone 0-10-2 in his final 12 games for the Devils this season.
After the game, Devils forward Blake Coleman said, "[Brian] Boyle and I looked at each other halfway through the game and said to each other, 'This is the Cory that we know.' "
Devils coach John Hynes decided to make the switch in goal with New Jersey trailing 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.
Game 4 will be Wednesday night at the Prudential Center.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
