On Mercer heating up, Markstrom's improving numbers, and Nemec's AHL play

Dawson Mercer has looked great on a line with Nico Hischier and Timo Meier. Plus, Jacob Markstrom is trending upward and Simon Nemec is not.

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

Dawson Mercer’s trending up 📈

Sheldon Keefe recently moved Dawson Mercer up to the 2nd line. It was a multi-faceted decision in an effort to a) get Mercer going and; b) give the 3rd line a little more juice. The former is certainly happening.

Mercer has looked great alongside Nico Hischier and Timo Meier and been far from just a 3rd wheel offensively.

Mercer’s recorded at least four shot assists during 5v5 play in two of the past three games. He also leads all Devils players in high-danger chances during that time.

He has won puck battles effectively, done a lot of the little things defensively, and consistently worked the puck into the home plate area, either by passing – most frequently to Timo Meier – or driving there himself.

That has naturally led to production, with Mercer recording two primary points at 5v5.

It’s not as if Mercer has performed better but at the expense of his line, which was dominating with Stefan Noesen on it in Mercer’s place.

The Meier - Hischier - Mercer line has controlled ~80% of the expected goals and out-chanced opponents 32-12 over the last three games.

That’s extremely impressive considering the Devils faced Toronto and Los Angeles in that span, two of the top-7 seeds in the NHL.

I was hesitant about breaking up the Meier-Hischier-Noesen trio – they were legitimately one of the best units in the NHL – but Mercer has upped his game and ensured that line hasn’t skipped a beat; a promising sign.

The danger zone ⚠️