Newark, NJ (SportsNetwork.com) – Patrik Elias scored his 400th goal and the
New Jersey Devils grabbed a 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday.
Jaromir Jagr, Tuomo Ruutu and Steve Bernier also scored for the Devils, who
have won three straight and five of six. Cory Schneider stopped 33 shots in
the win.
Toronto has lost 11 consecutive games for the first time during its long
history, surpassing a mark set from Jan. 15-Feb. 8, 1967.
Tyler Bozak had the only goal of the game for the Maple Leafs, who have scored
just 11 goals during their losing streak. James Reimer allowed all four goals
on 17 shots.
The Devils scored near the midway mark of the first period as Mark Fraser’s
shot from the left point hit off the boards behind the net and came out to the
right side where Ruutu backhanded it in.
Just 1:23 into the second, the Devils took a 2-0 lead on Elias’ goal as he
took a feed from Travis Zajac at the right circle and wristed it in for his
seventh of the season.
It was a 3-0 game at 13:31 of the second when Adam Larsson’s slap shot from
the high slot tipped off of Bernier and went in.
The Leafs got on the board at 11:51 of the third on the power play as Phil
Kessel snapped a shot from the right wing that hit off the pipe and stayed
out, but Bozak was there to clean up the rebound.
Jagr, though, scored into the empty net as Reimer was trying to skate off for
an extra attacker just inside of three minutes to play for his 716th career
goal, one shy of tying Phil Esposito for fifth place in NHL history.
Game Notes
New Jersey plays in Montreal on Saturday … Toronto hosts Edmonton on
Saturday … On Friday, Toronto traded forwards Carter Ashton and David Broll
to the Tampa Bay Lighting for a conditional seventh-round draft pick.
