New Jersey Devils: Nathan Bastian Makes Sense On Power Play

Some things make no sense on paper but make perfect sense when we see them in execution. Nathan Bastian isn’t the type of player that should help the New Jersey Devils‘ power play thrive. He’s a big body who spends more time on hits than he does scoring goals. Yet, the Devils have deployed him on the top power-play unit with Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Dougie Hamilton. On Wednesday’s return to the ice, Bastian made a few good decisions on the Devils’ first power play that directly led to a goal.

First, Bastian was able to catch up to a puck around the net so the Devils’ desperation didn’t lead to lost possession. He made a quick pass to Hischier, and the Devils settled the puck down. Eventually, the puck came back to Dougie Hamilton after Bastian went behind the net again, but this time he let the puck go. A few seconds later, and Bastian went back to his spot in front of the net blocking the vision of the goalie. Hamilton would hit a one timer from the point, and it went in under Buffalo Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

Bastian also had a good play on the Devils power play. He kept possession alive despite being on his stomach. He was knocked down, but he lightly poked his stick on the puck to get it Jesper Bratt.

It showed one of the biggest impacts Bastian has had on this roster since rejoining the Devils this season. The Seattle Kraken did not have the right formula to use Bastian correctly. It was one of the many mistakes that the franchise made with the expansion draft. They eventually put Bastian on waivers, and the Devils brought him back for free.

Since returning to the Devils, Bastian played around four minutes on the power play prior to Wednesday night’s game. The Devils had three high-danger chances during that time. To compare, Dougie Hamilton has 23 high-danger chances over 68 minutes of power-play ice time. Getting a high-danger chance per minute is very good for this unit.

Adding Bastian to the power play was a decision most coaches wouldn’t make. Lindy Ruff and Mark Recchi deserve a lot of blame for the issues with the Devils power play, but adding Bastian is absolutely a move that deserves praise. It might be the key to changing the fortunes of the unit from here on out.