Schneider rips Devils' lack of urgency after loss to Penguins

Cory Schneider is not a happy goalie.

The New Jersey Devils netminder laid into his teammates following Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the division rival Pittsburgh Penguins.

Pittsburgh carried a 3-2 lead into the third period, before scoring 3:13 into the final frame and then adding an empty-netter to seal the victory.

"I just didn't see the urgency from everyone to really want to tie that game and then the empty netter," Schneider told Andrew Gross of the North Jersey Record. "It might just be an empty-netter to make it 5-2 but could we have kept that one out of the net? Probably.

"We've got to take some pride in not giving up four or five a night and bearing down and believing we can get back in these games. We just have to change that mindset and be better going forward."

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It's a been a rough month for the Devils, who have come away with a 3-8-2 record through December, including back-to-back losses to the Penguins.

"We just need to be stronger in the last minutes of periods, myself included, come up with the save, get to the third tied," Schneider continued. "But the last couple of games that's been an issue. I just don't know. They get the next one and there's the game.

"(Pittsburgh is) a great team. I'm not discrediting them. We can play with that team. There's no reason why we couldn't have won this game. Not to disrespect them. They're a fantastic team ... That's three games now that they've beat us in a short amount of time and that should bother some people."

Schneider and his teammates will have a shot at redemption on Thursday, as the Devils head to D.C. to take on the Washington Capitals.