REPORT: Lindy Ruff Sends A Strong Message To Expensive Star

Timo Meier has not had the best start to his journey with the Devils. After being acquired at the trade deadline last year Meier put up just 4 points in 11 playoff games. So far this year he has yet to record a point and his ice time is dwindling. While the power forward was used to getting 20 minutes a night or more with San Jose he's averaging just 15 minutes a game this year through three games. A big part of that is the fact that he was benched during the 3rd period tonight.

Devils fan and hockey analytics researcher CJ Turtoro posted the ice time charts for all Devils players on X tonight.

Those green bars indicate players who were benched for that period of time. As you can see, several Devils were benched for almost the entire 3rd period, including Meier. Ruff addressed this in his post-game interview. He added specifically that he was unhappy with the penalties Meier took.

Meier ended up getting just 11:29 of ice time in the game where the Devils lost 4-3. He may have to prove to his new coach that he can play at the level we saw in San Jose before he gets back into a top role with the team.