Devils Practice in Florida | NOTEBOOK

The Devils are practicing at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Florida on Wednesday afternoon.

Stay tuned to the notebook for the latest info, updates, interviews, videos and more from the practice session!

Practice Info

The Devils were missing defenseman Dougie Hamilton and goaltender Jacob Markstrom at practice. Neither situation is considered an issue.

Keefe on Hamilton: "Just maintenance for him. Part of his 'return to play program.' Playing last night, he'll skate tomorrow morning and be good to play. Just part of his return to play."

Keefe on Markstrom: "Right at the very end of the game he has something we're monitoring. We're going to give him some time. He's fine. He'll back up Jake tomorrow. We're just going to reduce his time on ice the next couple of days to make sure that settles down okay and it's nothing."

The club used the lines below:

Return Check In

The Devils had a few injured players return to the lineup Tuesday night in Tampa Bay. Dougie Hamilton, Connor Brown and Evgenii Dadonov all got back in action after missing time with injuries.

Brown missed nearly three weeks with an injury. He had been out since Oct. 30 but played 15:21 minutes of ice time in his return.

“A little rusty but health feels good,” Brown said. “I’m excited to keep it going.”

For Dadonov, the game against Tampa Bay was his first since the Oct. 9 season opener in Carolina where he only played one period before suffering a fractured hand.

“I’m happy to play again, that’s for sure,” Dadonov said. “A little rusty because I didn’t even finish one game in the regular season. It’s been over a month. It’s a little hard to get in right away, but I felt like as the game went on, I felt a little bit better.”

While Dadonov was out with the hand injury, he was able to skate and maintain his cardiovascular capacities. That helped him stay in shape and return more easily.

“It was a lot of lower-body training,” he said. “But game shape and conditioning shape are a little different.”

Juho What Time It Is

Devils forward Juho Lammikko has appeared in eight games this season for the club after missing the first 11 with an injury.

So, it’s been a small sample size for a player that is still adjusting to his new team, new system, new teammates, new coaches, etc. But he’s getting more comfortable each day.

“I’m just trying to improve every game,” he said. “Every game I feel more comfortable and try to learn, what you have to do in different situations.”

Lammikko, 29, used his time away from the ice while recovering from his injury as an opportunity to learn Keefe’s system.

“It takes time to be really comfortable,” he said. “It’s going in a better direction. It’s been getting better.”

But while studying and watching film is helpful, there is no substitute for getting game action learning.

“It takes a few games, but it becomes easier to play when you learn it,” he said. “I feel it’s pretty good having eight games now. Now you don’t have to think too much.”

While Lammikko is still searching for his first goal and point this season, he’s primarily focused on the other side of the puck.

“Of course, I want to score. It’s not easy,” he said. “I’m trying to be good defensively and do what I can to help the team win. And hopefully score some goals.”

He Said It:

Keefe on practice drills: “On the season we haven’t generated enough. We need to find ways to improve in the margins offensively. Little things like faceoffs can go a long way. Offensively we’ve been a little bit challenged here of late. We’re trying to find ways to get more things happen at the net-front. It’s something we’ve spent time on video with and not a lot of practice time. We just felt it was appropriate today to get some reps.”

He Said It 2:

Brown on Florida: "They do a really good job of keeping it simple. They don't really beat themselves. They don't really turn the puck over in tough spots. You have to be prepared to play a bit of a chess match and be patient. That's something this team is capable of."