New Jersey Devils
3 Devils that Need to Step Up in the Second Half of the Season
As the final push toward the Stanley Cup playoffs begins, the Devils need these three players to step up their game.
Twenty-five games. That’s how many the New Jersey Devils have left in the regular season. They currently sit third in the Metropolitan division with 68 points, two back of the Carolina Hurricanes for second place, and 12 back of the Washington Capitals for first.
Catching up to Washington may be too tall of a task at this point in the season, but second place is firmly up for grabs.
Despite sputtering after the holiday break, the Devils are still in a good position, and there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about their final dash to the postseason. When play resumes, the Devils must regain the spark they had during December and will need more from players not named Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, or Nico Hischier.
Most expect Tom Fitzgerald to be active before the March 7th Trade Deadline, but until that happens, it’s solely up to the players in the locker room. While everyone needs to do their part and play a little better, a few particular Devils will need to improve their game for the team to succeed over the next 25 games.
Timo Meier
We highlighted the Timo Meier breakout not too long ago, and hopefully, the 4 Nations Face-Off break will do him a world of good. He’s a volume shooter who has an uncharacteristically low shooting percentage and is scoring way under expected. Similar to his 2023-24 season, a second-half breakout could be on the horizon, and it is exactly what the Devils need.
Acquiring another bonafide top-six scoring winger will be tough, but it’s also the job Meier was brought in to do back in 2023. Meier is producing at just a 56-point pace this season, far from the production you’d want out of an $8.8 million player.
The good news is that all metrics point towards positive regression. All of his expected goal and point totals at 5v5 are even higher than they were last year, the major difference being his shooting percentage is lower now.
Meier’s power forward play style suits playoff hockey well, as we saw in the spring of 2023. With game intensity ramping up to playoff-like feel, look toward Meier to take charge over the last eight weeks of the regular season.
Erik Haula
A lot has been made about Erik Haula’s play this season, and rightfully so to some extent. His production has dipped massively this season, and he doesn’t drive play nearly as effectively as he did the past two seasons.
In 45 games this season, Haula has just 11 points. In comparison, through 45 games last season, Haula already had 26 points. Even when adjusted for his recent injury, Haula has statistically been struggling like never before this season.
And until another center is brought in via trade, Haula will need to hold down the 3C spot. The hope and silver-lining is that he will return to the lineup healthy and had playing high intensity hockey as a part of Team Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Brenden Dillon
If Jonas Siegenthaler is going to be out with injury for an extended period of time, odds are head coach Sheldon Keefe will rely heavily on the veteran Brenden Dillon to eat up minutes. In the two games since Siegenthaler’s injury, Dillon has led all Devils in ice time.
The pairing of Dillon and Hamilton will be leaned on heavily at 5v5 while they work Simon Nemec back into the lineup and play Brett Pesce on his off side. Where Dillon will especially be needed most, however, will be on the penalty kill. Dillon is already second on the team in PK minutes just behind Johnathan Kovacevic, but with Siegenthaler and his 104 minutes of shorthanded ice time now missing, Keefe will likely look toward Dillon to eat up more minutes.
However, a problem this season has been Dillon’s play. While not bad, he hasn’t been the shut down defenseman that some thought he’d be. When he’s on the ice, the Devils give up more goals and shot attempts per 60 than any other defenseman that’s played over 200 minutes. For comparison, Siegenthaler gives up the fewest goals per 60.
With the games getting tighter as the playoffs approach, Keefe will likely lean on a player with almost 1000 games of NHL experience. The question becomes if he can handle the increased role.
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