Cory Schneider is no longer the forgotten man on the New Jersey Devils.

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 Anders Lee 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, 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 Sean Monahan Jersey ,” 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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Jose Trevino went from preparing for a game in Double-A to playing twice in less than 24 hours for the Texas Rangers, and delivering a tying RBI with his first big league hit.

The rookie catcher’s single in the seventh inning tied Saturday’s game against the Colorado Rockies, and 39-year-old active career hits leader Adrian Beltre put the Rangers ahead with a two-run triple in the eighth as they stopped a seven-game skid with a 5-2 victory.

”I couldn’t tell you if I was more excited to get the tying RBI or my first hit, but I knew if I got the RBI, it’d be a hit,” Trevino said. ”It’s been crazy, just trying to soak it all in and slow it down.”

Trevino was going through his pregame workouts Friday at Frisco, about 35 miles from the Rangers’ ballpark, when he got the late call-up to the big leagues. Rangers starting catcher Robinson Chirinos was going to serve his one-game MLB suspension for the scuffle after a home plate collision with Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp on Wednesday night in Los Angeles.

Carlos Perez started Friday night behind the plate, but he injured his right ankle in the second inning Youth Sam Hubbard Jersey , and Trevino quickly made his big league debut.

”No time to be nervous,” Trevino said.

When Perez got to the ballpark Saturday for a day game, he found out he was in the starting lineup. Perez went on the 10-day disabled list, and Chirinos was still sore from the collision.

”He’s handled it great. To be forced into duty on a night when he came in as kind of an emergency,” manager Jeff Banister said. ”That at-bat at the end there (Saturday) was tremendous. He needs to be proud of himself.”

Rougned Odor led off the Texas seventh with triple. He scored on a double by Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who came home when Trevino grounded a ball through the left side of the infield to tie the game at 2.

Beltre, who has been on the disabled list twice this season because of a strained left hamstring, got the triple on a fly ball that went over the head of right fielder Carlos Gonzalez and ricocheted off the bottom half of the outfield wall. It was Beltre’s 3,095th career hit.

”As soon as I hit it, I knew it was enough to score the runs, so that’s all I cared,” Beltre said.

”Off the bat, it looked like it was going to go over the fence. I tried to do as much as possible Colts Game Jerseys ,” Gonzalez said. ”I guess we can say we got lucky that it didn’t go over the fence.”

Delino DeShields drew a leadoff walk against Harrison Musgrave (0-2), and went to third on Jurickson Profar’s single before the 38th career triple for Beltre, who is in his 21st season. Pinch-runner Ryan Rua came home on Odor’s sacrifice fly.

Jose Leclerc (2-2) struck out two in a perfect eighth and Keone Kela worked the ninth for his 15th save, the most in the majors without a blown chance.

Rangers starter Mike Minor struck out six while matching his season long with seven innings. He had a balk and a wild pitch, both playing into the Rockies runs.

Ian Desmond walked in the second and advanced on a balk before a two-out single by Gonzalez. D.J. LeMahieu had a leadoff single in the sixth, and was at third after a wild pitch before coming home on Nolan Arenado’s sac fly.

But Minor worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh.

”To keep the score the way it was, to give our guys that little energy level to say `Hey, we’re still in this’,” Banister said. ”If we give up a couple of runs there, it’s probably a little different situation.”

GETTING ON BASE

Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo had a leadoff walk in the first, before adding two hits. He has reached base in 30 consecutive games for the longest streak in the American League this season.

STARTING FREE

Colorado left-hander Kyle Freeland, who won all four of his interleague starts as a rookie last season, permitted two runs and eight hits in seven innings.

”He’s made great strides. I think there’s a confidence level there to utilize a couple of different pitches Adidas Justin Faulk Jersey ,” manager Bud Black said. ”He’s limiting mistakes, especially with runners on base. We’re seeing growth before our eyes.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: SS Elvis Andrus, out since fracturing his right elbow April 11, was moved from Frisco to Triple-A Round Rock. He could rejoin the Rangers as early as Monday.

UP NEXT

RHP Yovani Gallardo, who has pitched for three different major league teams since leaving his hometown Rangers after the 2015 season, is expected to start the series finale for Texas. He has been at Triple-A since signing a minor league deal in April after being designated for assignment by Cincinnati. RHP Jon Gray, with a 7.98 ERA his last six starts, goes for the Rockies.

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