Patrik Elias dressed up with momentos after scoring his 1000th NHL point on Tuesday (NJ.com)

As if winning two in a row for the first time in seemingly forever (almost two months) wasn’t enough cause for a celebration, the Devils had another reason to be jovial after Tuesday’s 4-1 win against the Sabres when franchise icon Patrik Elias got three points including his 600th NHL assist – and more importantly his 1000th NHL point.  It wasn’t a moment that was expected given Elias came into the game with 997 points and he hadn’t scored points in bunches for a while.  Of course it seemed like all the old guys wanted to get their milestones done this week during my two games where I wasn’t there hah.

Perhaps the only regrettable moment of Tuesday’s game is the fact Elias had one goal and two assists instead of two and one, cause then his career numbers would have read 400 goals, 600 assists and 1000 points.  As it is he’ll score his 400th goal soon enough, perhaps tonight in Boston or tomorrow at home where he’ll no doubt be formally honored for reaching four digits.  If there was one neat thing about Elias doing it at home on Tuesday, it was the fact a majority of the crowd instantly knew what happened even though Elias got his point on a secondary assist of Mike Cammalleri’s empty-net goal with just over three minutes remaining.   Not to mention it occured in a win where Elias could get interviewed in the postgame at center ice by Deb Placey where the crowd could once again chant his name in appreciation.

Too bad whoever runs the Devils’ YouTube has been unusually slow putting up the postgame locker room stuff, it would have been nice to actually see what people said about Elias as opposed to reading quotes in Tweets.  As it is, this quote from coach/GM/president Lou Lamoriello will have to suffice as the coda on a tremendous feat:

To Devils general manager and interim coach Lou Lamoriello, who drafted the Trebic, Czech Republic native in the second round, 51st overall, in 1994, it’s clear what Elias has meant to his organization as a two-time Stanley Cup winner and where he’ll end up after his playing days are over.

“Patrik has been a very loyal Devil,” Lamoriello said. “(He was) drafted, he was a free agent on several occasions and decided to stay. It’s just great to have him. Without question he will retire, in my opinion, as a Hall of Famer.”