Timo Meier Dominates in Devils 4-1 Win vs. Blues

NEWARK — The New Jersey Devils certainly got their money’s worth of Timo Meier on Thursday.

The $70.4 million man propelled the Devils to a 4-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues, netting a natural hat-trick through the first two periods of play.

“Some of those goals were really nice setups and I was in the right spot,” Meier explained. “We were making good plays defensively and at times (the Blues) were pushing, but I thought we held them back well. We just found a way to win a game which is really important and now we’ve got to build on this.”

Because Tyler Toffoli was scratched for trade related reasons, interim head coach Travis Green was forced to tweak the Devils’ lineup. With Ondrej Palat returning to the lineup from injury, Green opted to move Meier to Nico Hischier’s right-wing with Palat flanking on the left.

When asked if Meier was more comfortable on the left or right wing, he explained he’s comfortable playing both sides.

“I mean I’ve played both,” Meier said. “(Green) asked me the same question before the game and you know, I think it’s just wherever you get put in you want to go out and play hard. So I was on the right wing (tonight), but you know, whatever side works for me.”

On playing with Hischier, Meier said, “He’s such a great player and he does so many details the right way, he plays the right way. (Nico’s) really solid defensively and he obviously makes it easy to play with him and you know, some of those goals were just you know, driving the net and entering the zone and making the right plays. I think that’s, you know, the type of player that leads by example.”

The way Meier played against the Blues is exactly the player the Devils believed they were getting this time last year. Meier’s three goals were all a little bit different, one at the net front while on the power play, backhanding a loose puck at the top of the Blues crease past Jordan Binnington. The second, Meier recieved a pass in the slot and firing it over the goal line, and the third as the trailer on the rush, rifiling a shot past Binnington from a little further out, closer to the top of the right circle which completed Meier’s natural hat-trick.

Meier ended the night with 18:17 of time on ice, four points (three goals, one assist) and seven shots on net. He used his size, speed, and physicality all night, and the Blues had no answers for him.

The first two of Meier’s three goals were scored near the net-front, somewhere the Swiss forward explains he likes to be especially on the power play.

“I mean, who doesn’t (like playing net-front),” Meier asked. “Special teams are important.”

Meier on fire. pic.twitter.com/49u2KSTbQv

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) March 8, 2024

Although the Devils’ chances of making the playoffs are slim — and are potentially getting slimmer if Toffoli is dealt — Meier finding his game is vital for New Jersey to go on an end of season run here.

“It’s important, obviously,” Green explained. “He’s a big part of the group. Making sure that he gets going is important. It has been a little rocky for him at times to find his game, but I think he’s just feeling better about himself right now.”

Meier’s now on a four-game goal streak, collecting six goals in that span and has at least a point in his last five games. It looks like Meier is finally healthy, playing like himself, and feeling comfortable in his top-six role after playing bottom-six minutes for the majority of the season.

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