Timo Meier returned from a strange injury and did not resemble the same player. Finally, the New Jersey Devils appear to have a dependable star…
The New Jersey Devils defeated the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on Saturday night, just before Christmas.
It was a great team effort, as the Devils overcame early mistakes and a 2-1 deficit to score two goals in the third period and hold their opponents scoreless.
A few players had good games, but Timo Meier was the most exciting of the lot.
Meier has performed poorly since his comeback from injury. He returned to play against the San Jose Sharks to start the month.
His first goal came only on Thursday. It wasn’t simply the score. Meier lacked attacking acumen. The analytics revealed that he was the poorest player on the ice almost every game.
He wasn’t driving towards the puck. He wasn’t interested in exploiting his physique. It became a serious problem.
Lindy Ruff said that Meier was still ailing and playing slower than usual. That’s a serious problem since one of the primary reasons the Devils traded for Meier was his ability to play with a snarl while also keeping up with a Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes line.
If he lacks speed, he becomes just another defensive-minded forward. Even if he still possesses a tremendous shot, he’ll never be in a position to use it.
Over the last two games, the Devils have seen a different Meier. He seemed confident. He’s going into corners and emerging with the puck. This has just lasted two games, but it’s a fantastic development.
On Saturday, we saw the finest version of Meier. He was in the correct location in the first quarter, tying the score at one.
Then, in the third period, Meier threw an innocent puck at the net with traffic in front, and it went past Michael Hutchinson.
It was first handed to Michael McLeod, who was sitting in the front, but it was later changed to Meier.
Even the metrics indicate that Meier had a great night. According to Natural Stat Trick, Meier had six individual opportunities against the Red Wings, the most on the squad.
His center, McLeod, finished second on the team with five. Two of those six opportunities were of the high-risk sort.
Meier is a vital cog if the Devils hope to re-enter the Metropolitan Division playoff chase. The entire point of paying Meier almost to $9 million per season was to keep him here as part of this four-headed monster alongside Hischier, Hughes, and Jesper Bratt.
He hasn’t lived up to the hype this season owing to the injury, but there’s still time. If he continues to play like this for the rest of the season, he has a chance to score 30 goals. If he can build on that, he’s the player you want in the postseason.
