Devils Prep for Game 4 | NOTEBOOK

The Devils did not hold a practice on Sunday. That's not surprising considering Game 3 Saturday night in New York went into overtime (and already had a late start time of 8:15 p.m.). The Devils also took a bus back to New Jersey following the game.
The team met at Prudential Center in the late afternoon and will bus back to NYC in preparation for Monday's Game 4.
"Everyone was just pretty excited last night. It was a late night," said overtime goal scorer Dougie Hamilton. "Got some sleep. Get back to it, head over The City this afternoon and get back into it."
Check out more news, notes and info from Sunday's media availability with a few members of the team.

OT Hero

Speaking of Hamilton, he was the overtime hero because he scored the game-winning goal at 11:36 of the extra session. On the play, Hamilton pinched into a Devils rush and took a pass from Jesper Bratt. His shot (which may have gone off the skate of Tyler Motte) ticketed the top corner of the cage and allowed the Devils ticketing department to start printing Game 5 tickets.
"That timely ability to get to the right spot to score that big goal," head coach Lindy Ruff said of what makes Hamilton so special. "I think that was missing a little bit in Game 1 and Game 2.
"A lot of coaches use the expression, 'safe is dead in the playoffs.' It does mean a lot. Are you just going to hang in there and hope for something or are you going to get on your toes and create something."

Creating something - particularly offense - is exactly what Hamilton does best. He set career highs this season with 22 goals (tying a franchise record), 52 assists and 74 points. He also tallied seven game-winning goals, including two in overtime in back-to-back games.
"That is Doug's game. Look at the numbers," Ruff said. "That is the best part of his game. That's the strength of his game. He's got to play to that game. He's got to be involved for us. That's what made us dangerous during the regular season."
While contributing in the offensive zone is important to Hamilton, he also wants to make sure he's locking things down in his own end as well.
"Taking pride in not giving up chances defensively. At the end of the day, I'm a defenseman," he said. "Try to play good defense. That leads to the offense. Supporting my offensive guys. Playing offense also helps defensively, too."

Special Team(s)

The Devils were a much better team overall in Game 3 than in the previous two contests. They managed to play with much more speed while limiting the Rangers' offensive opportunities.
It looked like vintage, well, Devils hockey.
"If you look at last night's game, it was really similar to a lot of regular-season games we played," Ruff said. "They were close games, a lot of overtime games, a 2-1 game. Maybe we scored a little bit more, but playoffs brings more defense. We know we're going to be in a tight game. We have to be comfortable being uncomfortable. They're forcing us into a game, hoping we make a big mistake. We have to show patience."
But perhaps the biggest difference came in the special teams arena.
The Rangers power play went 2-for-3 and 2-for-7 in Games 1 and 2 respectively. Chris Kreider scored all four man-advantage goals.
While the Devils undisciplined penalty taking did carry over - they were shorthanded on five occasions - the team was able to kill off all five and avoid a repeat of the start of the series.
"Like I said after Game 2, we had some blown assignments," Ruff said. "We didn't miss many assignments after Game 3. We did a great job on their entries. I think that frustrated them a little bit. We did make some adjustments, which you have to make from game to game. I'm sure they'll do the same."
The Devils made some tweaks and adjustments. But it really just came down to New Jersey putting into practice their game plan (and not blowing assignments as Ruff mentioned).
"It was more about executing," captain Nico Hischier said. "We didn't execute enough in the first two games. We got some more video, but it wasn't much new. It came down to executing."

Lazar's Chance

While the biggest roster change made in Game 3 occurred in goal with rookie goaltender Akria Schmid making his NHL postseason debut, the club did make other alterations. Including the insertion of center Curtis Lazar.
Lazar, who was limited to just four regular-season games with the club due to injury and visa issues after being acquired at the NHL trade deadline, picked up 9:48 minutes of ice time while throwing four hits.
"I thought he played well. he stepped into a tough situation, and he gave us exactly what we needed," Ruff said. "We've got a guy that plays the game well. he knows how to play the game. He's physical. Good on faceoffs. Gives us another penalty killer."
"For myself, stay patient and wait for my opportunity to step in," Lazar said after the game. "I played pretty passive out there, make sure I was in the right spots and defending the right way."

In Case You Missed It

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- REWIND: Back in It - GAME 3 POST-INTERVIEWS: Ruff | Hamilton / Schmid | Hughes | Lazar | Hischier