Jaromir Jagr takes sole possession of 4th place all-time in points
SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers may have fallen short of the playoffs this season, but history nevertheless continues to be made in South Florida.
Jaromir Jagr, acquired in a deadline deal with the New Jersey Devils, passed Ron Francis for fourth on the NHL's all-time points list in a 4-2 victory over the Boston Bruins at the BB&T Center on Thursday night.
Like it has been since his arrival to the Panthers, the 43-year-old veteran reached his latest milestone with some help from his young teammates.
Jagr moved out of a tie with Francis when he recorded his 1,799th point: an assist on 19-year-old Aleksander Barkov's power-play goal with 1:20 left in the second period to tie the game at 1.
"When (Jagr) came in, I took another step," Barkov said. "I feel pretty confident when I was out there and he's a great linemate."
Jagr later reached 1,800 with an assist on 21-year-old Jonathan Huberdeau's goal at 4:02 of the third period.
After the game, Jagr was unable to hide his trademark grin as he welcomed a slew of congratulations from teammates and management, including Panthers general manager Dale Tallon.
Jagr, however, insists the smile was the result of the victory.
"You smile because you won the game," said Jagr, who has 721 goals and 1,079 assists in 1,549 NHL games. "When you won the game it makes everything a lot easier. You don't get tired when you're winning -- I'm smiling about that."
Jagr is now 50 points behind Gordie Howe for third place all-time.
You can follow Jameson Olive on Twitter @JamesonCoop or email him at JamesonOlive@gmail.com.
