New Jersey Devils: Reliving Nico Hischier’s Best Moments After All-Star Game
Arguably, the new face of the New Jersey Devils franchise, Nico Hischier, made his NHL All-Star debut over the weekend in St. Louis. While Hischier lost the NHL’s Last Men In fan vote, he would serve as an injury replacement for the Devils’ original representative, Kyle Palmieri.
In light of Hischier’s first All-Star selection, it is difficult to not look back at the first two-plus years of his career. While the Devils franchise has experienced some highs and lows during this time, the young centerman has certainly shown why he soared up draft boards in 2017 and became the first-overall pick. In no particular order, here are some of the best moments of Hischier’s young career.
1. First NHL Goal(s)
As part of the many signature moments during the Devils’ magical run in the first half of the 2017-2018 season, the team grabbed a come-from-behind overtime win against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 19. It was the Devils’ sixth win in their first seven games of the season. While former Devils defenseman John Moore stole the show with the game-winner in overtime, Hischier broke out for three points; two of which were his first NHL goals.
Hischier had already collected four assists in his first six games leading up to this contest against the Senators. He was clearly looking the part of a top-line center, playing on a line featuring former Devils, Drew Stafford and Taylor Hall. Just 2:30 into the game, Hischier finally got loose for his first NHL goal. He potted a behind-the-net feed from Stafford into a gaping net to give the Devils an early 1-0 edge.
Only a few minutes later, at 4:21 of the first period, Hischier struck again by poking a loose puck past Senators goalie, Craig Anderson in a net-mouth scramble. The Devils rookie centerman added an assist on the game-winner by Moore in overtime, capping a memorable three-point performance. It stands as his first of five, three-point games so far in his young career.
2. First Star of the Week Honors
With the New Jersey Devils scratching and clawing for points during a playoff race in mid-February of 2018, Nico Hischier stole the show. For the week ending on Feb. 18, he was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week. The then19-year-old player recorded seven points, which included four goals and three assists during a perfect 4-0-0 week for the Devils.
Hischier scored a goal in every game, adding up to a career-long four-game goal scoring streak. The week featured crucial wins over division foes, the Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes (x2) along with a road triumph over the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning.
Three of Hischier’s seven points that week came in a home victory against the Hurricanes: Game Highlights
3. First Overtime Winner
After recording two game-winners during his rookie campaign, Hischier was searching for his third and first in overtime the following season. A Dec. 14, 2018 home-bout against the Vegas Golden Knights set the stage.
The Devils entered this matchup against the Knights with 19 losses in their first 29 games. With the season quickly slipping away, the Devils went down 3-0 to the Knights in the first nine-plus minutes. Devils goaltender, Cory Schneider was pulled in favor of former Devil, Keith Kinkaid after allowing three goals on just seven shots.
Eventually, the Devils found themselves down 4-1 in the second period. From there, they rallied by scoring three-unanswered goals from forwards Miles Wood, Kyle Palmieri, and Brett Seney to force overtime. With the Devils searching for their first win beyond regulation that season, Hischier delivered. He scored off a beautiful individual effort in front of Vegas goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury’s crease to seal the win. However, the celebration was delayed as the initial pass from former Devils forward, Marcus Johansson appeared to have forced Nico offside by a fraction of a step. After review, the play was upheld, and the goal stood.
4. Nico Steals the Show in Montreal
As was the case with many instances during the Devils 2018-2019 season, they found themselves reeling with losses in four of their previous five games going into a Feb. 2 game in Montreal against the Canadiens.
The Devils were trailing the Canadiens 2-1 at 16:33 of the second period. In need of answers heading into the third, the team looked upon their first-time alternate captain to step up. Hischier tied the game at 11:26 of the third after pulling the puck out of scramble in the slot and roofing a shot past former Canadiens goaltender, Antti Niemi.
The teams remained tied and headed into overtime. Hischier stepped up once again at 1:56 of the extra frame and ripped a short side shot past Niemi. The goal came as a result of a beautiful rush by Hischier as he gained an extra step on the Montreal defender and found himself with space to fire a quick shot towards Niemi.
5. Exorcising the Demons in Minnesota
Perhaps the most dramatic moment of a truly forgettable 2018-19 season for the Devils came in a road game against the Minnesota Wild on Feb. 15, just weeks after Hischier had stolen the show in Montreal.
On par with the norm in games during that season, the Devils were in a large hole, trailing the Wild 4-1 at 7:19 of the second period. Kinkaid was pulled in favor of Schneider, who was searching for his first victory since Dec. 27, 2017. From there, Will Butcher, Kyle Palmieri, and Ben Lovejoy combined for three-unanswered goals to tie the game at four.
Following a furious Devils comeback, the stage was set for overtime in Minnesota. At 3:19 of the extra period, Palmieri forced old friend, Zach Parise to pass the puck back to his goaltender, Devan Dubnyk to alleviate pressure. Dubnyk misplayed the puck behind the net and gave Palmieri a prime scoring opportunity on a wrap-around. The Wild goaltender was able to bail himself out once, but not on a second try as Hischier buried the loose change in front from Palmieri’s chance.
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Hischier had once again converted for his third overtime winner of the season, but perhaps the story of the game belonged to Schneider. His winless streak of 21 appearances dating back to over a calendar year (excluding the 2018 playoffs) had been broken. He made 15 saves in relief of Kinkaid that night as the Devils mounted their comeback.