Will discipline come for Timo Meier? Devils head coach criticizes decisive penalty

Timo Meier owes the New Jersey Devils penalty killers a steak dinner. In the heat of battle against the Nashville Predators, the Devils’ star forward was ejected from Monday night’s game at 12:17 of the third period. He left his teammates with a serious five-minute penalty while holding a two-goal lead.

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Tensions between the Devils and Predators began to rise in the second period after Jeremy Lauzon threw Nico Hischier to the ice in a battle for net presence. Hischier responded on Monday with his second of three goals. From then on, whether during the game or between the whistles, the game became heated.

Then at 12:17, with the Devils hunting for their fifth goal, Zachary L’Heureux took an exception as Meier was playing as close as he could to Predators goaltender Scott Wedgewood.

A few jabs and shoves resulted in Meier punching L’Heureux in the face. The Predators forward ultimately left the game with an injury, and Meier was assessed a five-minute major and ejected from the competition due to a game-time disciplinary rule.

But was that punishment enough?

Recent history suggests this may not be the case. In Game 3 of the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Carson Soucy punched Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid in the face in the third period with Edmonton trailing 4-3.

Soucy received a one-game suspension after arguing that although he caught McDavid in the face, former Vancouver Canucks defenseman Nikita Zadorov’s contact with McDavid changed his direction.

Soucy still received disciplinary action.

That wasn’t the case between Meier and L’Heureux. Meier’s violation was simply a bad decision in the heat of the moment, but certainly on his own initiative. Based on history, harsher discipline may be imposed on the Devils’ forwards.

In December 2023, David Perron’s wires crossed when he saw Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin on the ice. He approached Artem Zub and punched him defenseless in the face, earning him a match penalty and later a six-game suspension.

L’Heureux was not defenseless like Zub. Here, too, both parties were involved in the physical altercation. However, Meier went one step too far, which led to his expulsion.

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The NHL Department of Player Safety might actually call. They have taken every contact with the boss seriously, and it is not unreasonable to think that Meier could be looking for discipline somewhere between the judgments of Soucy and Perron.

Regardless, head coach Sheldon Keefe — while understanding the heat of the moment — wants Meier to show more discipline at a crucial point in a game, such as the two-goal lead the Devils took with eight minutes left in the third period had.

“Yes, you have to show some restraint. I mean, he thinks a physical confrontation is enough for him. And if the other person raises their hands, it’s probably different. There’s no intention on Timo’s part. He’s in a fight and he’s competing at this point,” Keefe explained.

“But yes, you definitely have to show a little more restraint and control. And that’s at any point in the game, but definitely in the third period when it’s a two-goal game.”

Time will tell, but we could find out the verdict on a possible ban for Meier sooner rather than later.

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