Devils Takeaways: Mercer Earning Stripes; Gritsyuk Showing Out; Dark Cloud Looms

The New Jersey Devils are 2-1-0 to start the season, putting a pretty bow on the three-game road trip that opened the season.

They head home with four of a possible six points, and play next on Thursday when they host the defending Stanley Cup Champion, Florida Panthers.

READ MORE: Keefe Pushes Right Buttons; Special Teams Perfect; Meier, Gritsyuk Stay Hot vs. CBJ

On Monday in Ohio, the Columbus Blue Jackets looked like the up-and-coming team everyone projects them to be. They’re fast, skilled, and have a bit of bite to them.

The Devils survived the early goings of the game, but then swayed momentum their way, which eventually led to a 3-2 victory.

Let’s dive into the takeaway’s from Monday night.

Special Teams

The special teams were literally perfect on Monday. 2/2 on the man advantage, and 5/5 on the penalty kill.

Now, we’ll want to see the Devils stay out of the box that many times. However, they didn’t against the Blue Jackets, but it didn’t matter.

The PK cut off a majority of CBJ’s momentum at the blueline, and when they didn’t, Jake Allen, or Jacob Markstrom, were there to bail them out.

And on the power play, they scored with authority. The puck was cycled well, they opened shooting lanes, and they cashed in on a created rebound for the first goal, and scored on an odd-man rush on the second.

It won’t be perfect every night, but it was an encouraging sign.

Jake Allen & Jacob Markstrom

This is the dark cloud.

Boy, you hope Allen is okay. Allen was pulled after the first 40 minutes of play with cramping. However, before that, Allen was superb. He made 18 saves in the first period, stopping over two goals above expected. Columbus was pressuring early and often. With the Devils getting off to a bit of a slow start, he buoyed them early.

The one goal against wasn’t on Allen so much. Jack Hughes turned the puck over to Kirill Marchenko at the Columbus blueline, and sprung the Russian forward for a breakaway. He didn’t miss, as he was the wrong guy to turn the puck over to, but that’s not on Allen.

Allen is proving why the Devils are paying him through his age-40 season.

Jacob Markstrom relieved Allen in the third, and although he came in cold, there was more eyebrow raising for the wrong reasons. While playing the puck out of his net, he nearly gave Columbus a free goal, he nearly missed gloving down a floated on net, and just didn’t look settled in the crease.

He walked away with the win after eight of nine saves in the final 20 minutes. Or should I say he limped, because he looks like he may have been injured late in the third amid a Columbus scramble to tie the game, too.

Regardless, the duo got it done. Now, let’s just hope they’re both on the ice during the next skate.

Timo Meier

It must be March, because Timo Meier is firing on all cylinders.

This is just what you want from Meier. He’s right in the middle of everything, playing that bull-like style of game, winning battles, containing the puck, distributing, disrupting, and scoring.

He got the power play going in the first period, depositing the Devils’ first man advantage goal of the season after Sheldon Keefe made the changes to the units Monday morning.

Meier has that element every team is looking for in the NHL right now. He can be that Tkachuk-like presence on the ice, while providing elite offense.

This is what the Devils paid for.

Arseny Gritsyuk

Every night this kid plays, he’s impressing us more and more.

The thing that’s most obvious about Arseny Gritsyuk is that there’s no panic in his game. He’s not your typical rookie at 24 years old, but for a first-year NHLer, just three games in, he looks like he’s been doing this for several years already.

Gritsyuk’s shot was on full display in the preseason, and we’re going to see him score soon. But his playmaking has been incredible. He reads the ice so well, survey’s all of his options, and makes proper passes without forcing anything leading to giveaways.

On an odd-man rush with Dawson Mercer, he threaded yet another needle through multiple defenders, and assisted New Jersey’s second power play goal.

How soon until he’s playing with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt?

Dawson Mercer

Speaking of Dawson Mercer, it’s been nice to see him get rewarded.

Mercer has looked great to start the season, working hard in all three zones, is 1/3 of the Devils’ best line with Meier and Nico Hischier right now.

His two-way game almost hurt him to a fault for the last two seasons, but now we’re seeing a player who looks closer to his 2022-23 self, when he scored 27 goals and nearly 60 points.

Whereas before Mercer was a question mark in the top-six, he’s earning his stripes as a top-six forward.