A familiar face has returned to the New Jersey Devils and is making an immediate impact. Once the Seattle Kraken put Nathan Bastian on waivers, it was a no-brainer the Devils should put a claim in for him. Ever since they did and got him back, the Devils have not only reunited best friends but found something again with having a fourth line that has a physical edge to them but can score too. While Bastian has fit perfectly on the fourth line for the Devils with Michael McLeod and Jimmy Vesey, it is on the power play where Bastian is making more of an impact.
At the beginning of the season, the Devils power play was struggling. Now it did not help that key players were missing from it like Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. But even when those players returned, something was still missing. No matter could put their figure on it until the Devils coaching staff decided to make Nathan Bastian the net-front presence on the Devils power play.
Before Bastian was put on a power-play unit with Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, he had seen just about four minutes of power play in his first stint with the Devils. Now Bastian is averaging that and a whole lot more. Not only that but Bastian has taken over the role Miles Wood had on the power play. Unfortunately for the Devils, Wood needed hip surgery and while he is progressing there is not a timetable for his return. This is where Bastian becomes an even bigger asset.
Bastian’s big body in front of the net has taken away the eyes of the opposing goalies allowing the Devils to create more opportunities through screened shots as well as deflections. His hard work has paid off in front of the net as two of his five goals since returning to New Jersey have been on the power-play. His latest power-play goal came against the New York Islanders on Saturday.
“It’s made a big difference,” head coach Lindy Ruff said of Bastian on the power play after the Devils 3-2 lost to the Islanders on Saturday. “Goaltenders are fighting to see pucks now. He’s been able to tip a couple. His retrievals around the net have been good. He’s made a difference.”
As you can see on the goal Bastian takes away the eyes of Ilya Sorokin who has no idea where the shot from Ty Smith is going. To Bastian’s credit, he gets his stick on it and it goes in. The Devils worked the perimeter way too much early on in the season. Now the Devils with Bastian’s big body can work the front of the net a whole lot more on the power play.
While the Devils power play is still near the bottom of the league, it has improved recently and that is because of Bastian. The Kraken did not know what they had in Nathan Bastian. Seattle never gave him a clear-cut role and that is one of several mistakes that the team has made this season. He was never the right fit for them. The Devils knew they were going to lose a player in the expansion draft and they wish it was not Bastian. But lucky for the Devils, they were able to get him back.
Not only is Bastian finding a role on the power play, but that fourth line of Vesey-McLeod-Bastian has given the Devils an edge. This was similar to what the Devils had last year with Wood-McLeod-Bastian. And with the way the rest of the Devils lineup is clicking, New Jersey is a tough team to play against. You know when these big bodies are out on the ice you do not want to mess with them or the rest of the Devils team.
All Nathan Bastian ever needed was a role and he found it with the Devils. He was the right player at the right time to get the power play going.
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