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Spezza ‘no worse for wear’ after return

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While he admitted that he didn’t feel so great after that bombastic Craig Adams hit, Jason Spezza told NHL.com that he’s pleasantly surprised about how his body reacted to returning to action after Sunday’s Game 3.

“I feel good,” Spezza said Monday. “To play a double-overtime game and coming out no worse for wear is definitely positive for me and encouraging that I made the right decision [to play]. I took a pretty good pounding and played more than we had initially planned, but it’s all positive and I hope to get even better as we go on.”

Even with such a long game, it’s clear that head coach Paul MacLean eased him back into the lineup as much as he could. He averaged 19:11 minutes per game in the regular season yet he logged 18:40 despite the contest stretching out into a second overtime period.

While the 29-year-old center seemed optimistic, he acknowledged that he trotted out a more stripped-down style than usual.

“I can tell you it’s not ideal,” Spezza said. “I’d have liked to have a few weeks of [regular season] games before I was playing in games with such high stakes. I had to keep my game a little simpler [Sunday]. There were a few times when I would have held on and made plays, trying to get the puck on the net.

“It’s going to be a different game for me. I’m playing a third-line role here to start, and I’m trying to [do well] on my faceoffs. As I feel more comfortable and evolve, then I’ll just try and help where I can. But it’s definitely a different situation than if I had been playing all year. I’m playing against [Pittsburgh players] who are at the top of their game right now, and I haven’t played in four months. There are obvious challenges, but I feel like I can help.”

(H/T to Rotoworld.)