Devils 5, Canadiens 3
Patrik Elias tallied twice to become the New Jersey Devils' franchise-leading goal scorer and spoil Randy Cunneyworth's debut as the interim coach of the Montreal Canadiens with a 5-3 road triumph over Saturday.
Cunneyworth replaced Jacques Martin, who was fired after 2 1/2 seasons as coach of the Canadiens on Saturday morning.
Petr Sykora and Dainius Zubrus collected a goal and an assist apiece and Montreal native Martin Brodeur turned aside 23 shots for New Jersey, which has won a season-high four in a row and seven straight at the Bell Centre.
With the game tied at 3-3, Canadiens defenseman Chris Campoli lost the puck to veteran Petr Sykora, who alertly fed Elias on the doorstep for his 13th goal of the season and 348th career.
Elias had pulled into a tie with John MacLean for the honor at 5:05 into the second period. Ilya Kovalchuk's centering feed found Elias on the doorstep for an easy tap-in to give New Jersey a 2-1 advantage.
Zubrus gave New Jersey a 5-3 lead midway through the third period by scoring from the left faceoff circle on the power play.
Defenseman P.K. Subban scored on a 5-on-3 power play and Lars Eller and Campoli also scored for Montreal, which has lost two in a row and four of its last six (2-2-2).