Devils notebook: Timo Meier makes home debut, Lindy Ruff reacts to recent goalie, defensive breakdowns, Curtis Lazar update

Devils coach Lindy Ruff isn’t concerned about goaltender Vitek Vanecek, who has a .873% save percentage since Feb. 1 – which ranks 44th among eligible NHL goalies.

He is, however, starting to worry about the defense in front of him.

The Devils’ 5-4 victory over a 21-win Coyotes team Sunday showed why. Despite trailing 4-2 at one point, Arizona forced overtime courtesy of several missteps in New Jersey’s defensive zone. The Coyotes easily tossed the puck around when in their zone, which led to three easy goals on nine high-danger shots. Two of these goals stemmed from Ryan Graves/Dougie Hamilton giveaways.

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After rewatching the tape on Monday, Ruff said there was “nothing” Vanecek could do on 75% of Arizona’s goals.

“I saw a lot of terrible plays by us,” Ruff said. “That led to either Vitek having to scramble on east-west plays, second-chance opportunities, east-west plays that, as a team, we need to clean up. I did see several really big saves by him at key times. I think really on three of the goals, there’s nothing he can do.”

Ruff raises a valid point, but he still needs Vanecek to shake his rust before the postseason. Devils defenders have limited opponents to a promising 26.55 expected goals and 118 high danger chances in their previous 13 games, but they’ve given up the 10th most five-on-five goals (32) in the league.

Vanecek, who will start against the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, has the worst goals saved above anticipated rate (minus-7.45) during that same stretch.

While Vanecek looks to return to midseason form, the Devils have insurance options in Akira Schmid and Mackenzie Blackwood. Schmid has a .952% save percentage in his last three games and a 3.00 GSAA rating. As for Blackwood, Ruff said he’s “skating and progressing” after suffering an injury two weeks ago – which means he could return to the goalie rotation soon.

“I don’t have a date in mind for you, but I had a conversation with him yesterday and he’s feeling good about where he’s at,” he said.

Timo Time (Newark edition)

For the first time since being traded from the San Jose Sharks on Feb. 26, Timo Meier skated on the Prudential Center ice Tuesday morning to prepare for a tough matchup with Toronto.

Meier, who scored in his Devils debut on Sunday, hasn’t quite settled into his new state yet – he’s temporarily staying at a nearby hotel – but he’s ecstatic to hear the rowdy Devils fan base during pregame introductions.

“Playing in front of the fans and hearing good stuff about the fans and feeling the support they’ve given me coming to Jersey, it’s an exciting moment to step on the ice in the home building,” Meier said.

“I’m really looking forward to it.”

Meier, 26, admitted he still needs to “adapt” to Ruff’s system on Sunday – but said his former Swiss teammate Nico Hischier is helping out. Hischier, speaking in German on the team plane, detailed exactly what Meier needs to do in the run-and-gun system, which should help the new star thrive.

“He’s definitely helped me a lot,” Meier said of Hischier. “Having some guys here that speak your own language, it’s easier to explain the system in German, so he’s been great so far. All the Swiss guys, all the guys here have been a great help.”

Where in the world is Curtis Lazar?

Devils forward Curtis Lazar still hasn’t met his new teammates.

Lazar, acquired from the Canucks in a trade deadline deal last week, is in Vancouver and working through “visa and immigration stuff” during his moving process. When will he finally join the roster?

“He’s got some immigration, so maybe tomorrow or the day after,” Ruff said.

Lazar, 28, is a physical depth forward who has a 51.4% face-off percentage and 124 hits this season. His move has been hectic, but Ruff is excited to add Lazar’s gritty playstyle to his lineup.

“We know that he’s just a real strong two-way player,” Ruff said. “Good on faceoffs, he’s a hitter, we’re looking for depth. He’s a smart player away from the puck, he’s physically strong on the puck. I think that when you look at this push down the stretch and you look at what’s past that, he’s the type of player that can thrive at times.”

MORE DEVILS:

–How Devils’ Lindy Ruff went from the hot seat to a coach sparking postseason dreams: ‘He really needs an apology’

–’That hit still haunts me’: 2012 Devils reflect on Stanley Cup misery 10 years later

–’I don’t regret one bit of it’: Martin Brodeur finally talks about his Devils grudge and forgiveness, that brief Blues stint and his GM dreams

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Ryan Novozinsky may be reached at rnovozinsky@njadvancemedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter @ryannovo62.

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