New Jersey Devils forward Dawson Mercer reflects on the atmosphere at Prudential Center and first playoff experience.

When New Jersey Devils Public Address Announcer Adam Hamway welcomed the team to the ice for warmups ahead of Game 1, Dawson Mercer was met by thunderous applause from the sold-out crowd, who were waving their rally towels and banging on the glass. 

"When I look back, I think the building just erupted," Mercer said as he reflected on the atmosphere at Prudential Center on April 18. 

"I feel like coming out through the gate; it was probably the fastest I ever skated, going around (during warmups). I was excited just for that. When you're walking out, you can only see a glimpse of it, and then when you finally step out there... it's pretty cool."

Mercer began the postseason on the team's top line alongside Tomas Tatar and Nico Hischier. It's a trio that found success in the regular season and helped the Bay Roberts native reach a career-high 56 points.

By Game 3, the coaching staff changed their lineup, and Mercer and Tatar found themselves on the third line with Michael McLeod as their center, and a couple of games later, Mercer found himself with two brand new linemates. 

In a critical Game 5, head coach Lindy Ruff made the decision to move Mercer back to center with Timo Meier and Jesper Boqvist on his wings. The trio combined for seven shots on goal, with Mercer earning two points (one goal and one assist). The goal would come while he was out on the penalty kill, along with Erik Haula. 

Rangers defenseman Adam Fox passed the puck across the ice to Artemi Panarin. Haula managed to get possession, skated down the ice, and set up Mercer, who blasted the puck past Igor Shesterkin.

"I was pumped," he said with a laugh. "It felt good. I thought I scored when I hit the crossbar, so I was excited to get that one in."

Ruff liked what he saw from his third line in Game 5, and when he met with the media after the team's Game 6 morning skate, the head coach was asked about Mercer's play. 

"Used his speed well, and I thought there was a little chemistry there (between the trio)," said Ruff. "Meier had a couple of great opportunities, and Mercer obviously had a shorthanded goal. Putting him back in the middle utilized his speed a little more."

Mercer was one of 10 players on New Jersey's roster who never appeared in a playoff game before April 18. After the first couple of games in the series, the word jitters was used to describe the club after their first two losses to the New York Rangers.

"I think there's always jitters," said Haula after Game 1. "It's just how you handle them." 

One thing I have learned from my interactions with Mercer is that he takes things in stride and is hardly rattled. When I asked if he was one of the players who had jitters at the start of the series, he took a moment and used the word over-excited instead. 

When it comes to playoff hockey, Mercer says there weren't too many surprises when it came to the pace and physicality of their series versus the Rangers. 

"I would say it's what I expected. You're playing the same team every time, but it's momentum, right? You feel good, and you're going, and every game is a new game, but at the same time, you still have that feeling of what happened the games before. It's a great thing for me mentally." 

Mercer has been warming up with goals in Games 5 and 6. He was instrumental in the penalty kill and now has a taste of playoff hockey as he and his team prepare for their series versus the Carolina Hurricanes. 

"Sooner or later, somebody was going to break through," said Ruff after the team's April 28 practice. "Secondary scoring was going to be important, and I thought that combination of Meier and Mercer was in on some really good quality opportunities."

To Ruff's point, it was secondary scoring that propelled the Devils past the Rangers in Round 1, and it's only a matter of time until Mercer is celebrating his third goal of the postseason or jumping into Meier's arms when he eventually breaks through for his first goal of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.