Four ways for Devils to prolong season in Game 4

LOS ANGELES -- Following the Devils' Game 3 loss Monday night, goaltender Martin Brodeur was asked about what it will take to overcome a 3-0 series deficit in the Stanley Cup Final.

The 40-year-old veteran who has heard the question before gave an answer that was somewhat cliché, yet totally honest.

"I think every team that's down 3-0 will have the same speech," Brodeur said. "It's not new. We're looking at this as one game at a time, like everybody will tell you in the last 20 years or so.

"It's not the best situation. It's probably the worst situation you can be in -- no, it is the worst situation you can be in. We just have to put our head down and work hard. We believe in ourselves. We're going to compete as hard and the result will be there one way or the other."

STANLEY CUP FINAL - KINGS VS. DEVILS

Kings rout Devils 4-0, lead Final 3-0

Corey Masisak - NHL.com Staff Writer
The Kings scored two goals in each of the last two periods and Jonathan Quick stopped all 22 shots he faced, as they blanked the Devils 4-0 to take a commanding 3-0 series lead. READ MORE ›

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The Devils will need to beat the Kings, who have only lost twice in 17 postseason games, four straight times in order to win the Stanley Cup. Game 4 is Wednesday night at Staples Center, and here are four things the Devils can do in order to begin climbing the biggest mountain in sports.

1. Score first -- With the Kings holding a 15-2 record in the playoffs, of course they have tremendous numbers whether they score first (10-1) or trail first (5-1). But the Devils haven't made the Kings doubt themselves for a second in this series, and forcing them to play from behind for the first time will be a step in the right direction.

2. Hope Quick goes to pieces -- When all else fails, perhaps some hoping and praying wouldn't hurt. The Devils have thrown everything they can at Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick and virtually none of it has worked. They've put traffic in front of Quick and spent time at practice working on redirections. All it's yielded is one goal off a ricochet off Kings defenseman Slava Voynov and another by Ryan Carter off a tip in the slot. It's reached the point where the Devils need to let shots fly and hope Quick suddenly turns into a pumpkin.

3. Start well … again -- The Devils came out flat in Game 1, but they had great starts to Games 2 and 3. Unfortunately for them, Drew Doughty blew that up with a great individual effort for a goal in Game 2, and Quick was lights out for the first 25 minutes before Alec Martinez put the Kings ahead 1-0 in Game 3 -- and all 60 minutes, for that matter. The Devils can use an infusion of confidence, and if they don't get a goal early, they can at least hang their hats on controlling play early for the third straight game and build from that.

4. Brodeur needs to steal one -- He hasn't cost the Devils a game in this series and played well enough to win the first two games. But with the way Quick is playing at the other end of the ice, Brodeur needs to find a level he possessed when he was 10 years younger if the Devils aren't going to give him any support.

Follow Dave Lozo on Twitter: @DaveLozo