Anthony Mantha has become one of the more useful pieces in the Devils’ forward mix, and the latest example came in a game where New Jersey had to scramble.
When Timo Meier was handed a game misconduct in the second period of the Nov. 5 matchup against the St. Louis Blues, the Devils were left to finish with 11 forwards.
That forced everyone to absorb more ice time, and it pushed the left wingers to move all over the lineup. Mantha was right in the middle of that shuffle through the second and third periods.
He made the most of it. Mantha scored twice and added an assist, turning in one of his strongest games of the season. It also served as another reminder that he can fill different roles for New Jersey and give the forward group another dimension.
Mantha began the season on the Hughes line after the Devils signed him in the offseason. The idea was straightforward: add a physical scorer who could complement that unit and raise its ceiling. Early on, though, he lagged behind the two faster skaters.
Arseny Gritsyuk ended up taking off on that line and becoming the scorer who lifted it to another level. Mantha then settled into a role on the Rodrigues line, giving the Devils a third line that could handle defensive work while still bringing some offense.
Even so, his value isn’t limited to that spot. He still has the skill to play on the top line, and that showed when he scored twice alongside Bratt and Hughes.
He can also slide onto Nico Hischier’s line if the Devils need him there later on. After the most recent game, Mantha said, “You just try and fit in.
We work on chemistry in practice with everyone a little bit,”
Head coach Sheldon Keefe liked what he saw from him in that win. “He had a couple really good moments, and those are goal-scorer goals,” Keefe noted after the game.
That combination of size, strength, and finishing touch has long been part of Mantha’s appeal. He’s the kind of winger who can be a problem when he’s paired with the right linemates, and the Devils are getting that version of him now.
The Pittsburgh Penguins saw the upside last season when he scored 31 goals. This year, he has five goals and four assists, and he’s adding the kind of physical presence New Jersey had been missing.
The scoring matters, but it isn’t the whole story. What stands out is how much flexibility he gives the Devils.
They haven’t always had a third line that could both defend and score, but with Mantha in the mix, that’s now a real option. And if he moves up, the Devils have other forwards who can slide into a checking role without the unit falling apart.
That depth is part of the bigger picture for a revamped forward group. General manager Sunny Mehta made several moves to reshape it, bringing in Mantha in free agency and adding Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, Luke Evangelista, and Amadeus Lombardi through trades.
The results have shown up in different places. Evangelista has become a fixture on the Hischier line with eight points in 13 games.
Rodrigues and Boqvist have helped drive the third line, and Boqvist has five goals, including one in the recent win over the Blues. Together, they give Keefe more ways to change the pace, slow things down, and still create offense.
For a Devils team that already has raised expectations with the Connor Hellebuyck addition and a defense that is starting to come together, the forward unit’s ability to do everything is a major reason for optimism. Mantha has become the clearest example of that.
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