The Devils were projected to finish near the bottom of the NHL in preseason, and it appeared they were headed that direction after opening the season on a four-game losing streak.
But Cory Schneider has lifted his team to six wins in its last eight games and finds itself competing for an early playoff spots. Overall, the Devils netminder is 6-3-1 this season with a 2.16 goals against average and .922 save percentage.
Along with Schneider, Mike Cammalleri has played a large role in New Jersey's early success, recording close to a point per game — something he's done just once in his 12-year career, which came in 2009 with Calgary when he scored 82 points in 81 games — with 11 points through the first 12 games.