Jaromir Jagr goal tops 700 career mark

UNIONDALE, New York - Jaromir Jagr became the seventh player to score 700 NHL goals, reaching the mark as the New Jersey Devils routed the New York Islanders 6-1 on Saturday.

The New Jersey forward moved into this elite group when he netted his 19th goal of the season. The Islanders have been Jagr’s favorite target in his 20 NHL seasons. He has 61 goals and 88 assists in 101 career games.

Jagr stickhandled from the right-wing boards into the slot and then slid a shot along the ice that eluded New York goalie Evgeni Nabokov at 3:31 of the second to give New Jersey a 2-0 lead. Jagr was surrounded by his teammates on the ice with him and skated across the front of the bench, patting gloves along the way. He received a nice ovation from the crowd when his milestone was announced.

The Czech Republic Olympian is only eight goals behind Mike Gartner, who is sixth on the NHL career list. Wayne Gretzky holds the record of 894. Jagr is seventh in career points with 1,740.

AP