New Jersey Devils notes: On Meier with Hischier, an improving PK, and Schmid's struggles

Timo Meier looked a lot like Timo Meier the second he was placed on a line with the captain.

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A few New Jersey Devils notes on this off-day:

Finally!

I don’t think it is a coincidence Timo Meier had one of his best games of the season, and is being declared back, the second he was placed on a line with Nico Hischier. He has played his best hockey with No. 13 since the day he was acquired from San Jose.

Dating back to last season, Meier and Hischier own a 61 xGF% and even goal differential over 160 minutes together. This despite dealing with poor percentages at both ends of the ice.

If and when said percentages reach anywhere close to reasonable levels given the talent at hand, their results should match what is an extremely strong process.

Life hasn’t been so lavish for Meier away from the captain. He is -12 with a 47 xGF% in 580 minutes without No. 13 by his side.

A putrid .873 on-ice save percentage makes things look worse than they should – at least in the goal department – but Meier is very clearly a different player without Hischier.

It’s a bit puzzling Meier has only spent 16% of his 5v5 ice with Hischier this season considering those two were a natural fit from the get go.

Instead, the Devils have often asked Meier to play with Jack Hughes – they own a 42 xGF% and have meshed like oil and water – or drive his own line in the bottom-6.

Playing with Hughes would be a dream for many players but the two just don’t fit and, well, using Meier in a bottom-6 role is never going to get the most out of him. It certainly shouldn’t be the solution in Year 1 of a monster contract.

One would hope Meier’s performance alongside Hischier (and Jesper Bratt) opened some eyes and will earn him a full-time slot on 13’s wing.

Even without Hughes in the mix, using Meier lower in the lineup to balance things out is counterintuitive when he’s not getting results there anyway.

PK on the upswing