NEWARK — It looked for at least a few brief moments that Timo Meier’s playoff run might have come to an abrupt, savage and violent end.
In the third period of New Jersey’s first-round series-clinching Game 7 win over the Rangers on May 1, Meier was on the receiving end of the latest thunderous blow from defenseman Jacob Trouba in what has become perhaps the most replayed (and debated) moment of the Stanley Cup playoffs so far. Trouba came off of the visitors bench and lined Meier up at the blue line, driving his shoulder into the head of the hunched-over forward, who ended up flat on the ice for several seconds before he eventually sat up, then got to his feet, then was helped off of the playing surface.
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But Meier missed only Game 1 against the Hurricanes in the second round — for reasons unrelated to the hit, he said — before returning for Game 2. In Game 3 on Sunday, he scored that all-important first goal just about six minutes into the first period, setting the tone in the Devils’ 8-4 win. The Hurricanes still lead the series, two games to one, but the Devils have a chance to even it up on Tuesday at Prudential Center.
WHAT TIME IS IT!? pic.twitter.com/GT5O5sXpW7
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) May 7, 2023
For Meier, it was his first point in the playoffs after he was scoreless in his first eight games. He took a pass from linemate Jack Hughes behind the net and jammed it past Frederik Andersen before the Hurricanes goalie had a chance to react.
“Today we did a good job getting in front of the goalie, in those areas where we can score goals,” Meier said.
And did that goal feel like a weight off for him, personally?
“If you’re scoring or not, you just try to make a difference every shift,” Meier said. “It’s playoff time, every play matters. Sometimes if you don’t score goals you’ve got to do other things. Those things will lead to goals, and the biggest thing is wins, and that’s what we want.”
Meier was doing plenty of those little things even while he was held off of the scoresheet. He was second only to Hughes in shots on goal for the Devils in the playoffs with 32 headed into Game 3, while his 25 hits were first on the team.
He even made himself noticeable in Game 2 despite the lopsided nature of that one, a 6-1 Carolina win. He managed five shots on goal in about 17 minutes of ice time, but still couldn’t get one to fall.
“He’s had great opportunities that haven’t been able to go in,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “Even last game, a couple opportunities he had that didn’t get by their goaltender. I think this should put a little life in him, but his play physically has been something that really helped us win the Rangers series. The puck hasn’t been going in the back of the net, but maybe this jumpstarts him.”
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What helped to jump-start Meier, and the Devils overall, was getting his line with Hughes and Dawson Mercer away from Carolina’s Jordan Staal. After Hughes was matched up against Staal at five-on-five for more than 20 minutes combined in Games 1 and 2, they saw each other for just about three minutes in Game 3.
Hughes was the star of Game 3 with two goals and two assists, all at five-on-five, and all of them coming with Staal on the bench.
“Matchups are huge, especially against this team,” Hughes said. “We were focused right from the get-go. We got the first goal, which was huge.”
That first goal, the eighth of Meier’s playoff career, was particularly important in that the Hurricanes are a perfect 5-0 in the playoffs when scoring first, a continuation of their success from the regular season when they were third in the league in that category.
“They’re a team when they get the first goal, there’s no risk in their game whatsoever,” Hughes said. “They’re on top of pucks, they have guys back. … Obviously, (it) made them play a little bit differently, I’d say.”
Meier didn’t offer much of an opinion on the hit from Trouba. In fact, he even seemed to suggest that were the roles reversed, he might have done something similar.
“I mean, it’s a fast game out there,” he said. “(Trouba) just kind of came off the bench. I didn’t really see him. It happens. If I got him in the same (position) I probably would have hit him too, and tried to get him. It’s a hard hit. Was able to recover quick from it. Nothing happened, so it’s all good.”
That’s fortunate not just for Meier but for the Devils, too, who gave up a sizable haul to San Jose to acquire the bruising power forward who is essentially built for playoff hockey. Meier brought 35 games of playoff experience with him to New Jersey, instantly making him one of the team’s more experienced postseason players.
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Meier, like any other goal scorer, has gone through prolonged slumps before. But at 26 years old, he indicated he’s better equipped to handle them at this point in his career than maybe he was previously, thanks in no small part to all of the veterans that he skated with on those Sharks playoff teams from the late 2010s.
“This is not the first time where kind of the puck is not going in for me, but that’s where you’ve just got to stick with it,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate to play with guys that have been around for so long in San Jose, and learn from these guys when you’re going maybe through a slump. Don’t tighten up too much, just keep going, keep working, and eventually, it’s going to go your way.”
Getting dealt to New Jersey on Feb. 26 was also a first for Meier, who was drafted by the Sharks in 2015 and spent the first six and a half seasons of his professional career there. He admitted that it took some time to get acclimated to his surroundings.
“Definitely challenging,” he said. “After a while being on the same team and same organization and then having the trade at the deadline, it’s definitely challenging, but I think it’s also something that will help you grow as a player.”
Meier’s latest lesson came from Trouba, as no player ever expects to be the victim of that kind of hit. And now, if he — and Nico Hischier, who also scored his first goal of the playoffs in Game 3 — can start to get on a roll offensively, the Devils’ chances of advancing to the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 2012 will be exponentially higher.
“That was a f—ing huge hit. Just happy he’s well,” said Hischier, a fellow Switzerland native and friend of Meier’s. “He’s a tough dude, a really tough guy. Coming back from that and scoring a goal (to) get us going here, really happy for him. That’s what Timo does. To see him out there, broken nose, cage, just playing hard. Still finishing his hits. Goes where it hurts. A playoff-hockey type guy, and we’re glad we have him.”
(Photo: Elsa / Getty Images)
