BOSTON — Jaromir Jagr is making his mark on the record books this NHL season, and he reached two more milestones in Monday’s 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.
The New Jersey Devils winger scored the 708th goal of his career, moving him into a tie with Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Gartner for sixth on the league’s all-time goals scored list.
At some point this season, Jagr probably will pass Boston Bruins legend Phil Esposito, who ranks fifth with 717 career goals. Los Angeles Kings icon Marcel Dionne is fourth with 731 goals.
Even at age 42, Jagr still continues to find the scoresheet on a consistent basis. The Czech forward leads the team in scoring with 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 15 games, and his 67 points (24 goals, 43 assists) in 2013-14 also led the Devils. Bruins head coach Claude Julien even referred to Jagr as the “Energizer bunny” Monday morning.
Jagr also passed Wayne Gretzky on the all-time games played list Monday night. Given Jagr’s incredible workout habits and the way he keeps his body strong in-season, we might see him play another couple of seasons at the NHL level.
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Jagr is once in a generation type of player, and he’s enjoyed a career likely destined for enshrinement at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Watching him play live should be on every hockey fan’s bucket list.
— Seth Griffith scored an unbelievable between-the-legs goal in the second period. It’s the early favorite for “Goal of the Year.”
“I knew I had a chance there,” Griffith said of his goal. “The (defensemen) were kind of spread out there a little bit so I knew I had a little bit of a chance to get a break. Lucky enough it just stayed in my feet and I got to whack at in.”
— Patrice Bergeron tallied three points (one goal, two assists) against the Devils. He has a four-game point streak.
— The Bruins have allowed the game’s first goal eight times this season, including Monday night. They are 4-4-0 in those games.
— Defenseman Torey Krug returned to the Bruins blue line after suffering a broken finger on Oct. 28. He was scoreless in 21:16 of ice time.
“Good, for a guy in his first game back,” Julien said of Krug’s performance. “He’s been out for a while, and I think he had one or maybe two practices with us and that’s it. But he came in and did his job. Obviously he’s not at 100 percent with his situation, but he seems to be handling the puck well. Again, maybe he didn’t get that many shots on net tonight, but still I thought he was a good player.”
— Defenseman Joe Morrow played another strong game against the Devils. He’s making a strong case to remain in Boston when injured defensemen Zdeno Chara and Kevan Miller return to the lineup.
“I think he’s been playing really good and improving every game,” Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask said. “Past couple games, I’ve really liked the way he’s played defense and carried the puck up the ice. Right here in the third period he made a great play. There was a guy in the back door, wide open and he just took the puck and skated off. Things like that, that people may not see, I see and I try to give credit for that.”
— The combined record of teams (Buffalo, Ottawa, Edmonton, New Jersey, Florida) the Bruins have defeated in their five-game win streak is 26-34-12.
— Devils head coach Pete DeBoer called Cory Schneider’s performance against the Bruins “average.” It would help if DeBoer gave Schneider a rest every once and a while. The former Boston College goaltender has started every game for New Jersey this season. He’s allowed 11 goals in his last three starts.
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Photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
