vils were going well and would likely make the playoffs. He wanted to be a part of it in the worst way."It was just about being patient," he said. "I knew I'd be back at some point."The Devils weren't so sure."It crosses your mind," coach Pete DeBoer said when asked if he thought Zajac might be done for the year after his setback. "There were a couple of times that you wonder, and there was conversation whether it was smart to come back or better to wait until next year for his long-term health. But, he was a motivated guy and once it started to feel better through the second rehab time you could tell he wasn't going to be denied."Zajac didn't look like a guy that was about to be denied Tuesday, either. He even had to leave the bench to get looked at by trainer Rich Stinziano in the second period after getting tangled with Panthers center Marcel Goc and falling awkwardly.DeBoer said he and his assistants began strategizing a new game plan in case Zajac wasn't able to return.He was back on the bench before they could finalize the plan."He's a warrior," Devils captain Zach Parise said. "He's not going to go out of these games."Zajac had already contributed by authoring a perfect pass out of the corner to set-up Ilya Kovalchuk for a power-play goal 4:21 into the second period. When the game got to overtime, it was Kovalchuk doing the work to make room for Zajac to become the hero.He carried the puck across the blue line and drew both Dmitry Kulikov and Tomas Fleischmann toward him. Kovalchuk looked behind him and found Zajac alone on the left side. He delivered the pass and Zajac took a few strides before rifling a quick and low shot past Panthers goalie Scott Clemmensen, setting off a wild celebration in the right-wing corner."Not many guys in the League can come across the blue line like that,http://www.nhljerseyofficial.com/shop-by-player-shane-doan-jersey-c-343_362.html, draw two people to you, and snap that pass in there," DeBoer said of the play Kovalchuk made. "It was a great play by a great player."Zajac credited Kovalchuk as well with making a world-class play."When you play with Kovy, you just have to be ready for the puck," Zajac said. "You know he can pass through guys, through skates. So,Zach Parise Authentic Red And Green Jersey, you just have to be ready for it. He's a great passer as well as a goal scorer. He showed it there."NHL PLAYOFFS CHANNEL FINDERFULL PLAYOFF SCHEDULEZajac has been showing his guts and his character -- along with his scoring touch -- since returning to the lineup on March 25. He's been at his best in this series and now has three goals and three assists, along with 61-percent success rate in the faceoff circle. He played more than 24 minutes in Game 6."I thought tonight he was outstanding,Patrice Bergeron Black Authentic Finals Jersey," DeBoer said. "He might have been our best player on the ice. You get to this time of year your best players have to be your best players."Zajac is one of the Devils best players. They managed to win 37 games without him thanks to the emergence of rookie Adam Henrique, but they are 14-6-1 with him in