Meier now has 21 goals on the season in 56 games. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Swiss has 10 goals in his past 10 games. He scored 11 goals in the previous 46.
“After what people would say was a slow start for him, he’s found his game,” teammate Jesper Bratt said. “He’s worked really hard over the year and is now getting rewarded. That’s what great players do. Even if they struggle on paper, they always find a way back. He’s been playing really well lately. He’s helped us score some big goals. He’s using his strength. It’s been good to see.”
Perhaps the biggest change is in Meier’s confidence.
“Confidence is a funny thing. When you have it, you feel like you’re on top of your game, when you don’t it seems hard to find,” interim head coach Travis Green said. “He seems to have a better aura about him right now. You can really tell that he feels good about himself.”
While the scoring is the most noticeable impact, Meier has also been involved in a lot of the intangibles away from the puck as well.
“His 200-foot game right now is as good as I’ve seen it,” Green said. “Not only is he scoring but he’s really paying attention to little details in our system. It’s helping him get to scoring chances as well. Defensively he’s done a good job.”
“He’s such a big body. He’s really good on the forecheck. He’s really good at holding onto pucks,” captain Nico Hischier said. “Those little things matter too. He’s not afraid to block shots. He’s not afraid to go where it hurts. You need players on the team to play the way that he does. He does it for us. So, that’s been really good.”
