10. december 2009 / PATRIK ELIAS BECOMES THIRD ALL-TIME CZECH POINT GETTER

It wasn’t the prettiest way to get it done, but when his backhand pass intended for Niclas Bergfors struck the skate of Carolina defenseman Aaron Ward and landed in the back of the net on Wednesday night in New Jersey, Patrik Elias became the third highest Czech point getter in NHL history. The star forward’s 299th goal and 718th career point broke a 0-0 tie at 11:11 of the first period and the Devils went on to beat the Hurricanes 4-2 to improve their record to 21-7-1 and grab sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division.

Heading into Wednesday night’s game, Patrik was tied in points with Martin Straka and Peter Nedvěd who are both no longer active in the NHL. Patrik now needs 29 points to reach former Devil Bobby Holik who remains at second behind Jaromir Jagr’s 1,599 points. (Dan Altano)