Jaromir Jagr has hit so many NHL milestones this season for the Devils that he is starting to downplay them.
Jagr tied another one on Friday night, setting up two goals to match former teammate Mario Lemieux for 10th on the NHL’s career assists in a 2-1 win against the Capitals at Prudential Center in Newark.
Jagr’s response to the achievement was expected.
“I don’t know,” the remarkable 41-year-old Czech said. “I don’t pay attention.”
Jagr is having a season that makes it hard not to pay attention. Besides being the Devils’ leading scorer (16 goals, 26 assists), he has replaced Gordie Howe as the NHL’s all-time leader in game-winning goals (122), moved past Mark Messier for seventh place all-time in goals (697) and now tied Lemieux with 1,033 assists, seven behind Marcel Dionne.
Jagr was able to joke about the assists, noting: “I’m a great goal scorer.”
Stephen Gionta and Adam Henrique scored for New Jersey and Cory Schneider continue his stellar play in net, stopping 30 shots to give the Devils their second straight win and points in eight of nine games (5-1-3).
The Devils, who had their biggest goal output since 2010 in a 7-1 win over St. Louis on Tuesday, didn’t wait long to take the lead against Washington.
Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov had a puck bounce over his stick in the Devils’ zone and Gionta pushed the puck to Jagr, who returned it to him. The center skated the puck into the Washington zone and beat goaltender Michal Neuvirth with a shot from the right circle that somehow squirted through a crease between his elbow and body.
Jagr sent a quick cross-crease pass to Henrique for a slam dunk into an empty net for his second assist with the Devils on the power play.
Schneider, who came into the game with a 0.96 goals-against average in his last five starts, didn’t let the Capitals on the board until Chimera deflected a point shot by John Erskine into the net midway through the final period.