6. november 2009 / PATRIK ELIAS MAKES SEASON DEBUT AS DEVILS DEFEAT THE ISLANDERS

When Patrik Elias's skates first touched the ice Friday night at the Prudential Center, his fans let him know how much they missed him by giving him a loud welcome home ovation. Seconds later, Patrik gave the crowd its first taste of the skill that made him the all-time franchise scorer by using some slick moves to get himself into open ice and firing a quick wrister towards the net. Although it didn't result in a goal, the play made it clear: after two offseason surgeries and a elongated recovery process, #26 is finally back.

The Czech star would finish the game with over 16 minutes of ice time and two shots as the Devils defeated the New York Islanders 2-1. Confirming rumors that coach Jacques Lemaire wanted to play him at center, Patrik skated down the middle with rookies Matt Halischuk and Niclas Bergfors for a portion of the game and helped kill penalties. It was announced after the game that Patrik will not take the trip to Ottawa on Saturday night when the Devils face the Senators at 7:00 p.m.

Former Islander goalie Yann Danis improved his record to 2-0 by stopping 23 of 24 shots and defenseman Corey Murphy and forward Brian Rolston were the goal scorers. The win brought the Devils record to 10-4-0 and within one point of the second place New York Rangers in the Atlantic Division. Be sure to come back to EliasPatrik.com in the next few days to view a special welcome back video for Patrik. (Dan Altano)