Kudos for NHL debut against Crosby and Malkin
“Tim Berni had a really good game”
The patience paid off. Tim Berni (22) is on the ice for the first time in the NHL against the Pittsburgh Penguins. And gets high praise from Columbus coach Brad Larsen (45).
1/5
Tim Berni and Columbus goalie Elvis Merzlikins have their hands full with Pittsburgh forward Teddy Blueger.
The most important thing is to have patience, said Tim Berni when he signed a contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets in spring 2020. And he actually needed it. On November 28, he was called up to the NHL by the AHL farm team. He then had to wait a little longer for his debut. He was a spectator for three games before the time finally came on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh.
“I’m excited. I’m definitely going to be a little nervous,” he told reporters ahead of the game against the Penguins when it was clear he was making his first appearance.
Before his premiere, Berni will enjoy a nice NHL tradition. Before his team-mates step onto the ice, the debutant is allowed to do a warm-up lap – along with Russian striker Kirill Marchenko, who is also making his debut.
Then it’s serious. And the 22-year-old survived his baptism of fire, despite the Blue Jackets losing the game 4-1 and causing a penalty that ex-Lugano goalie Elvis Merzlikins defused. “Tim Berni had a really good game,” says coach Brad Larsen with a smile. “We asked a lot of him. Almost every bet was against Yevgeny Malkin or Sidney Crosby. And in his first NHL game.”
Strong stats against Crosby and Malkin
According to the “Natural Stat Trick” statistics page, the player from Dübendorf was on the ice for around 14 minutes – mainly against the Penguins’ two top lines. And while the Swiss number 75 is in action, the Blue Jackets have a positive shot ratio of 19:6.
Berni is not one of those players who tremble when you throw them in at the deep end. He had already proven that in 2018 when Hans Kossmann used him in the playoffs and he won the championship title as an 18-year-old with the ZSC Lions.
It is uncertain what will happen next. The Blue Jackets have four injured defenders in Zach Werenski (season end), Jake Bean (4 to 6 months out), Nick Blankenburg (2 to 4 weeks) and Adam Boqvist (probably back soon).
“I said from the beginning that I would give myself these two years and then take stock,” Berni said recently to Blick. “If it doesn’t work out with the NHL, then as a Swiss I would be in the privileged position of probably finding a club at home.”
█ █ █ █
|
team |
SP |
TD |
pt |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
8th |
0 |
0 |
0 |
█ █ █ █
|
team |
SP |
TD |
pt |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
8th |
0 |
0 |
0 |
█ █ █ █
|
team |
SP |
TD |
pt |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
8th |
0 |
0 |
0 |
█ █ █ █
|
team |
SP |
TD |
pt |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
8th |
0 |
0 |
0 |