New Jersey Devil’s goaltender Keith Kinkaid is putting up numbers similar to his regular season in the IIHF World Cup.
The regular season was a great one for New Jersey Devils’ goaltender Keith Kinkaid. Those numbers didn’t translate into the post-season, but Devil fans are starting to see them again in the 2018 IIHF World Championships.
Kinkaid has put up back to back shutouts for Team USA as the number one netminder. He has played in three games for the red, white, and blue posting a .954 save percentage and 1.30 goals against average.
???@Blockaid1 coming up big in the 3rd period. #TeamUSA leads Germany 2-0 with 10:40 to play. #2018MWC pic.twitter.com/SNdqdbvNDs
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) May 7, 2018
In those two shutouts, Kinkaid combined to make 44 saves against Germany and Denmark. All of this came after he struggled in the United States’ first game that went to a shootout.
During the 2017-18 season, Kinkaid saved the Devils season. Injuries to Corey Schneider forced Kinkaid to become the number one goaltender in New Jersey. He played in a career-high 41 games, where he started 38 of them. He won 26 games which included one shutout.
3rd period starts now on @NHLNetwork! #2018MWC @Blockaid1 kept Denmark scoreless with this diving save in the final moments of the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/Fm3cLVbplY
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) May 5, 2018
But the magic of the regular season disappeared for Kinkaid during the postseason. He had never appeared in a postseason game until this past season, and it wasn’t pretty. He started the first two games of the Devils postseason run and recorded a goals-against average of 5.87. After those two games, Kinkaid would not appear in another playoff game again for New Jersey.
You have to love how Kinkaid is not letting his poor performance in the postseason affect his game in the World Championships. He is around some of the games best talent and that can only make him better.
He isn’t the only Devils player playing for Team USA, Will Butcher has also hit the ice for the red, white, and blue. In three games, Butcher has scored two points: one goal and an assist. Blake Coleman and Brian Gibbons are also dressing for the U.S.
