The New Jersey Devils beat the Toronto Maple Leafs all night on Sunday night, and there’s so much to celebrate. Connor Hellebuyck recorded his first shutout as a member of the Devils. Nico Hischier recorded his 500th point. A two-point night for Jesper Bratt got him back to averaging a point per game, and the Devils survived with an 11-7 lineup against Sheldon Keefe’s former team. Overall, it was an incredible night.
But one thing stands out above everything. Timo Meier, after a season-long scoring slump, finally broke the ice. Then, he broke the ice again.
Meier scored two goals on Sunday after scoring one goal all season. He had five points going into the game. It was just not a good season for him. And he is sixth in the league in shots! He now has 70 shots on the season. He has more than Leon Draisaitl, Cutter Gauthier, and Nathan MacKinnon do this season.
Timo Meier might be the final pieceof the Devils scoring puzzle
When the Devils traded for Meier and ultimately signed him to an eight-year deal, they expected a guy who had the ability to score 40 goals while playing with an edge this team needed. The Devils got the edge, but that’s about it. Meier just doesn’t have the scoring ability they thought he did when he first played for the Devils.
And that’s okay. At this point, the Devils don’t need a 40-goal scorer. They need Meier to play like Brady Tkachuk. He can’t match Tkachuk’s edge, but he should be able to match his offensive output. If you get someone who can score 25-32 goals and record 60 points, then that’s exactly what this Devils team needs to compete with the best of the best.
Meier truly is the missing piece to everything. Now that the Devils got Hellebuyck, and the defense is playing as well as it has in years, all they need is the top six to play at an incredible level. Jack Hughes has been unleashed since they moved Arseny Gritsyuk to that line, and we’re getting what we expected from Nico Hischier and Luke Evangelista. The bottom six has been very good, even if we still think we should put Jesper Boqvist back on the fourth line.
Meier scoring again would be huge. He still only has two goals, and this was a one-night performance, but it was the best we’ve seen of him in ages. If he can just be a normal 30-goal scorer, the Devils will continue to be a wagon.
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