By Chris Ryan | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Cory Schneider will get the start in net, while Brian Gibbons will be activated off injured reserve to play his first game since Jan. 20 when the Devils host the Winnipeg Jets at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Prudential Center in Newark.

Gibbons missed the Devils' past 22 games after breaking his thumb on a blocked shot against the Flyers. He has 12 goals and 11 assists this season. He will enter the lineup for Pavel Zacha, who is out with an upper body injury.

With Schneider back in net, he will be looking for his first win since Dec. 27 while trying to regain his form to push the Devils in their pursuit of a playoff spot.

Here's a look at the Devils' projected lineup against the Jets, more on Schneider, plus notes and quotes heading into game No. 68.

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Bruce Bennett | Getty Images

FORWARDS

Taylor Hall - Nico Hischier - Jesper Bratt

Michael Grabner - Travis Zajac - Kyle Palmieri

Patrick Maroon - Blake Coleman - Stefan Noesen

Miles Wood - Brian Boyle - Brian Gibbons

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Ed Mulholland | USA TODAY Sports

DEFENSEMEN

Andy Greene - Sami Vatanen

John Moore - Damon Severson

Will Butcher - Ben Lovejoy

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GOALIES

Starter: Cory Schneider (37 GP, 17-13-6, 2.80 GAA, .912 save percentage)

Backup: Keith Kinkaid

Schneider will make his third start for the Devils since returning from injured reserve. He 0-2-0 with six goals allowed and a .893 save percentage in his two starts since returning.

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Adam Hunger | Getty Images

SCRATCHES

Forward: Jimmy Hayes (healthy), Drew Stafford (healthy), Pavel Zacha (upper body, day-to-day)

Defenseman: Mirco Mueller (healthy)

On IR: F Marcus Johansson (concussion, skating on own)

Gibbons will be officially activated from injured reserve this afternoon. The Devils do not need to create roster spot for Gibbons, since they can carry more than 23 players since the trade deadline has passed.

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GAME NOTES

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What can Schneider do to be one save better?

Schneider will make his third start since returning from a groin injury on March 1, and he will be searching for a way to flip his two results so far. In both games, he found himself on the losing end of a 3-2 final score.

One goal or one save can make the difference in March, and Schneider knows he has to come up with the puck one more time.

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Ed Mulholland | USA TODAY Sports

"It’s just those singular moments in a game," Schneider told NJ Advance Media. "Can you squeeze the pads an inch further or can you read a play a second sooner? Sometimes there’s just bad bounces. In the Florida game, a couple pucks bounce in off teammates.

"I felt really good that game, and it could have been a 1-1 or 2-1 game easily. But you catch some bad bounces, and that’s your job, to try to fight through those, maybe save a couple of them and not let them beat you. Just stay the course and not get down or lose focus for a second cause you gave up one that maybe you shouldn’t have."

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How Schneider feels physically

Schneider missed five weeks with groin and hip injuries, and his rehab took a little longer than he initially expected. The Devils carefully ramped up his ice time and workload prior to his return, and so far, he feels good after two starts.

His attention is now on changing his results. Through a combination of play, injuries and illness, Schneider has not recorded a win since Dec. 27.

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Robert Mayer | USA TODAY Sports

“It’s felt good both games and I don’t think it’s limited me at all, so that’s a big step," Schneider said. "But in terms of performance, it’s been some good and some bad. I’ve made some good saves on odd-man rushes or breakaways, but I’d like to try to keep it to two or fewer goals, especially this time of year. So find a way to just eliminate one goal from each game. It’s tough when you feel like you’re playing well and seeing the puck well, but you’re not getting the results, whether it’s goals against or wins, which is the most important thing.

"I just have to put my head down and keep working at it. I feel like it’s not far off at all. I feel it’s right there. So I’ve just got to give it that extra one percent."

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Being 'the guy' for the Devils

Since Schneider returned one week ago, the Devils have split their four games between him and Keith Kinkaid after Kinkaid played 12 of the 15 games in Schneider's absence.

Both have allowed six goals over their two starts, but Kinkaid picked up the lone win in that stretch. Past history says Schneider will get back to being the regular starter for the Devils, and this March will be the first time he finds himself in the heart of a playoff race in March while wearing a Devils uniform.

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Adam Hunger | Getty Images

"Obviously for me personally as a competitor and individual, I would love for that to be the case," Schneider said. "Keith (Kinkaid) has played well here the last little while and gotten us some big wins, so you can’t ignore that and expect to play all the time.

"More for me, it will be good just to get to that mindset and that level of play, where I’ll have to be our best player every night down the stretch here to help secure a berth. If I can play my game to my capabilities and stay focused and get on a roll, then this time of year you can hopefully turn that into the playoffs and almost get that started a little bit early."

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Devils' Marcus Johansson resumes skating for 1st time since concussion

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Hischier on Devils' playoff race

When the Devils brought Nico Hischier in with the No. 1 overall pick in June's NHL Draft, he said he was joining a team with talent that expected to win and be competitive.

So far, that has held up, and Hischier and the Devils find themselves holding a playoff spot with 15 games left in the regular season. Now that the light at the end of the regular-season tunnel is visible, Hischier said the team can use that goal to make a final push.

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Bruce Bennett | Getty Images

“First part of the season, we didn’t want to look at the playoffs," Hischier told NJ Advance Media. "We just wanted to come in, play our game and see where it goes and be a team, make a name in the league. Be a team that’s tough to play against. I think we did that, and now we’re putting ourselves in a spot where we’re right there and in a playoff race. Now we can actually think about playoffs, cause we’re right there. That’s some motivation for us."

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Chris Ryan | NJ Advance Media

Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com Devils on Facebook.