Finding The Balance: Devils Forward Shares Perspective on AHL Call-Ups

At the start of every NHL season, one guarantee is that each team will deal with injuries to some extent, which will always lead to opportunities.

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One of the New Jersey Devils' most significant losses was depth forward Curtis Lazar, who missed time from late October to mid-December.

The organization called up veteran center Justin Dowling, who played 25 NHL games this season with the Devils.

Prior to this season, he had 100 games of NHL experience spanning over seven seasons with the Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, and Devils.

At 34, Dowling has learned from experience what it takes to stay in the NHL when the opportunity presents itself.

"(When) I was younger, I couldn't find the balance of playing good defense and wanting to play with the puck, make plays, and score points," he said to The Hockey News. "(Here), it is about staying above, being defensive-minded first, and when (opponents) make a mistake, you then have the opportunity to go and play some offense."

The role is crucial when transitioning from the American Hockey League (AHL) to the NHL. For the first few games, most players run strictly on adrenaline, but as time passes, keeping old habits from their AHL role out of their game becomes a challenge.

"When you play in the minors, you play a bigger role and are expected to score," he explained. "Here, it is trying to balance being good defensively and picking your spots when you can go and try to make a play and be offensive, which is sometimes a fine line. You want to play offense, but you also have to stay above. Everyone is so good in this league that if you give them the opportunity to get behind you, and they go on offense, you are behind the eight ball right from the beginning."

Using his tenure with the Stars as an example, Dowling spoke about playing up the lineup when he was on a line with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn.

"When I was bumped up to play with Jamie and Tyler, that was when I was able to go play offense," he said, "but when I went back down to my role where I was playing eight minutes a night, I still wanted to play offense. I did not really think about playing defense.

"I think it is funny that hockey is such a maturity thing," he continued. "The more you do it, the more you learn how to do it and understand that there are roles and positions that guys play on every team, and that is why guys are signed."

It is Dowling's understanding of what is required of him that has kept him with the team for so long.

"No one is going to take Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, or any of those guys minutes away from playing in the offensive zone," he said. "(I) want to be able to create positive momentum for our team. It happened (Friday night) before our third goal. (My line) went out for an offensive zone draw, we created a lot of pressure, and then the next shift, our team went out and scored. That is creating positive momentum."

The Hockey News asked Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe about Dowling after his team's 4-2 victory on Friday night.

"I have been really happy with him this whole time here," he said. "His attitude and his approach never wavered or changed. He has been all about the team and the opportunity (and did) whatever was asked of him, whatever we needed. He has done a good job."

With Lazar healthy and back with the team, it could be a matter of time before Dowling returns to the AHL to help the Utica Comets find consistency. If and when that happens, what will be the most challenging part of that transistion for the journeyman who will be a top-six forward with the Comets?

"The hardest part is your puck touches," he said. "You touch the puck way more when you are down there; you have the puck on your stick for pretty much the whole game. It is those little five-foot passes. You lose that a little bit because you are used to chipping in and getting it back. You are not making those plays as much."

Dowling may have only averaged eight minutes of ice time per game and contributed two points during his stint with New Jersey. Still, he provided stability and defensively held his own, embracing the required role.

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