In the first month of the NHL season, it’s fairly typical for offensive lines to get jumbled up as teams try to find chemistry. But Sharks forward Timo Meier has already found it with linemates Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl, and it's already leading to goals.
“We’ve been strong defensively, which helps us to set up our o-zone game,” the winger explained the day after his line opened up the scoring in San Jose’s 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders. “Those are two guys who can make a really nice play. I think we put all of our strengths on the ice together.”
One of Meier’s strengths is how well he can compliment his veteran linemates. It was almost a year ago that bench boss Peter DeBoer made the 22-year-old forward a healthy scratch in a game against the New York Rangers. Now, Meier is a playmaker who can be slotted on any veteran’s wing and make a difference.
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“I’ve always taken pride in being a guy who can play up and down the lineup,” he said. “I try to be easy to play with. We have so many great guys on this team, it really doesn’t matter who you’re on a line with.”
In the latter half of his 2017-18 campaign, the Swiss native began finding his footing and putting points on the board on a more regular basis. He constantly had the puck, findinga way to elude opposing defensemen and post up in front of the net to tap in a goal or two. Meier went from the player who registered two points in his first seven games to the player who tallied two goals and two assists in his last seven games. Through this new season, he already has six points in eight contests and has scored four times.
What’s more impressive than his scoring prowess, however, is his ability to create on-ice chemistry with his veteran teammates. This ability first came to light last season when he was placed on San Jose’s top line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski, with the Sharks’ captain regularly setting the young winger up for goals.
That success has continued this season with Meier on the second line with Couture and Hertl. Perhaps the best example of their chemistry came in that first goal on Saturday, when Meier snagged a nice feed from Couture in front of the net and knocked in his own rebound past Islanders’ netminder Robin Lehner.
San Jose Sharks
“You try to learn from these guys,” Meier said of working with both Pavelski and Couture. “You’ve got to talk a lot on the ice to make it easy for each other.”
That communication has obviously paid dividends. Despite being one of the youngest players on the team, Meier has developed a veteran mentality that makes him a playmaker no matter who he’s skating with.
“You have to know how they play,” Meier said, “but most importantly you have to know how you have to play up your strengths.
“And that’s what I’m trying to do. Just play my game and it will help them play better.”