New Jersey Devils: Nico Hischier Needs To Be In Shootout Lineup
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils lost to the New York Islanders in the shootout. It was the second straight shootout loss where Nico Hischier never saw got a chance to win it.
New Jersey Devils head coach John Hynes made some interesting moves in Sunday’s tilt against the New York Islanders. It started with him going with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen, sitting Stefan Noesen. The questionable calls by the coach lasted all the way until the final decision of the game.
Going into the shootout, Hynes put out a lineup of Taylor Hall, Jesper Bratt and Kyle Palmieri. That lineup is more than fine, despite the fact that Bratt couldn’t even keep handle of the puck. Those three are the kind of skilled players you want to go up against Jaroslav Halak.
However, going with Brian Boyle and Brian Gibbons when the Devils were desperate for a goal made absolutely no sense.
The Devils had Nico Hischier, their number-one overall pick, sitting on the pine watching Gibbons hit the post and Boyle lose the handle on the puck. Sure, one could say that Nico has less goals than both Boyle and Gibbons, but nobody is arguing which player has more skill. A shootout is exactly where Hischier can shine.
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Why Hynes decided to bury Hischeir in the lineup when the game was on the line is anybody’s guess. Only he knows for sure. This isn’t the first time he didn’t use Hischier in the shootout. We will ignore the shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues since the Devils only got two shooters out there, but against the New York Rangers on December 21st Hischier never got a chance. That one actually worked, as Brian Boyle scored the game winner, but did that hurt the Devils decision making in the long run?
I love Boyle. He might be my favorite player on the team right now. However, let’s be real. There’s a reason Boyle only has 10 attempts in his career.
The fact that Gibbons is getting a shot before Hischier is even more confusing. The Swiss rookie proved he can make a very skilled shot, so why not give him a shot? Hynes needs to re-evaluate his shootout lineup during this bye week.