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RAW | Maltsev
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Maltsev, a fourth-round pick in 2016, has all the makings of an NHL regular. Big, strong, offensive gifted, and inclined to shoot the puck, and he's not afraid to be patient with it either.
Take a look at his fourth goal of the season, which came in a losing effort to the New York Islanders on Thursday night.
Maltsev picked up the puck on the boards, accepting a pass and shielding it from the Islander behind him on the play. He skated toward the point, which backed the Islanders off as they worked to clog the passing lanes and take away a potential shot from an awaiting Sami Vatanen at the blueline. He then shifted direction and worked to the face-off dot, pulling in three Islanders players. He didn't panic or rush the play, recognizing Nate Bastian screening in front of the net. His patience paid off as he flipped a backhander on net through the traffic and the shot lit the lamp.
It should not really come as any surprise that Maltsev can chip in on the scoresheet. He had 11 goals last season for Binghamton and flashed the potential to get some opportunity with the big club heading into this year. And now he's rewarding Head Coach Lindy Ruff for his trust in the young player.
"His puck play and confidence in making plays and hanging on to pucks and using his body to make plays," Ruff said of Maltsev's best assets and his areas of growth. "I think the second [thing] probably would be skating. His skating seems to have gotten better since day one."
His teammates have also been impressed.
"I feel like he's growing into the game the more and more he plays," said Devils forward Jesper Bratt. "And, I mean, he's a big boy that is good at using his body on possession, especially in the offensive zone. So it's good to see him take more pucks to the net and show everyone what kind of good player he is around the net."
Maltsev's other three goals this season came on a beautiful backhand-forehand move versus the Rangers on March. 6, a nice wrister from the top of the circle on Feb. 28, vs Washington, and an empty-netter from center ice on Feb. 16 versus the Rangers.
And each time that puck crosses the line, Maltsev's confidence grows.
"[My confidence] is pretty good now," he said. "So every game I'm more confident. More ice time and goals always helps me."
While he hasn't played a ton of minutes this year, Maltsev is making the most of his opportunity with the Devils. And there's still plenty of room - and plenty of time - for improvement.
He did just turn 23 today.
