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Sports

Devils try to extend winning streak in Boston

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

(SportsNetwork.com) - The New Jersey Devils hope to claim three straight victories for only the second time this season on Thursday night as they visit the Boston Bruins.

The Devils won the final two contests of a three-game homestand, with Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres giving New Jersey consecutive wins for the first time since Nov. 11 and 14.

Patrik Elias reached a pair of milestones in the victory with a goal and two assists. That gave him 1,000 points over his career and he also surpassed the 600-assist mark.

The 38-year-old Elias, who has played all of his 1,187 career games with the Devils became the 82nd player in NHL history to reach the 1,000-point mark. He is just one goal shy of becoming the 91st player to score at least 400 goals.

"He's smart and he's skilled and he's experienced, so he knows where to be at the right time," said Devils goaltender Cory Schneider, who made 20 saves. "He still plays the game at a high level. That's allowed him to be creative and score a lot of goals and get a lot of assists."

Jordin Tootoo, Travis Zajac and Mike Cammalleri also scored for the Devils, who haven't won three in a row since beginning the season 3-0 from Oct. 9-14.

New Jersey could get forward Martin Havlat (illness) and defenseman Peter Harrold (head) back in the lineup tonight after both missed Tuesday's win. Center Jacob Josefson is possible to return from his own illness as well as he traveled to Boston along with Havlat and Harrold.

Schneider will start tonight for the Devils, who host the New York Islanders on Friday, and has split two previous meetings with the Bruins, posting a 3.59 goals against average and .887 save percentage.

Like the Devils, the Bruins are looking to get some momentum going and tonight will try to build off a 3-2 overtime victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.

The Bruins had lost three in a row -- all past regulation -- but Patrice Bergeron made sure his club earned the extra point as he deflected a Milan Lucic shot from the point into the net with 2:17 to play in overtime.

The goal was reviewed to see if Bergeron hit the puck with a hi-stick, but the call stood.

"I was pretty confident that it was below the crossbar," Bergeron said of the goal, his second of the game.

Tuukka Rask made 37 saves for the Bruins, who own just a one-point lead over Toronto for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

"We are just trying to get our game where it should be," said Rask. "It was a great way to grind it out."

Backup Niklas Svedberg could get his first start since Dec. 27 tonight for the Bruins. He is 4-5-0 on the season with a 2.46 GAA and .918 save percentage in 11 games (9 starts), and has never faced the Devils.

The Bruins defeated the visiting Devils 4-2 on Nov. 10 in the first of three meetings this season to win for the 13th time in the previous 16 encounters of this series.

Bergeron had a goal and two assists and Rask made 26 saves.

Travis Zajac and Jaromir Jagr scored for the Bruins, while Schneider gave up all four goals on 23 shots in the Devils' seventh loss in their past eight in Boston.