Tomas Kaberle shines in debut with Montreal as Canadiens rout New Jersey Devils 2-1 -NHL Update
Winning a 2011 Stanley Cup championship with the Boston Bruins, then signing on with Carolina Hurricanes over the offseason, Tomas Kaberle is now a Canadien and led his new team, Montreal, to victory in his debut on Saturday night, December 10, 2011, against the New Jersey Devils, 2-1, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, United States.
"I have to admit I was a little nervous at the start," Kaberle said. "I had a new team with new teammates. I hadn't practiced in two days. I had a long travel day. We went over some things in the hotel before the game at breakfast, but I wasn't sure of what to expect. I just had to jump in right away and be ready. I just had to try to keep it simple."
Being one of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) top defenseman, Montreal thinks that he is going to be a valuable addition to its team.
"He's an experienced defenseman whose strength has always been quarterbacking the power play," Montreal's coach, Jacques Martin, said. "He has good vision on the power play."
After a scoreless opening period, Max Pacioretty fired off his 11th of the 2011-2012 NHL regular season, with Kaberle shooting it off to Erik Cole who found the player open in front of the net, in the opening minute of the second.
Cole added one of his own by sliding in a goal that was meant to be Mathieu Darche's, but was deflected off of Martin Brodeur’s pad and found itself on to his stick and into the net to give Montreal the boost they needed to win, 5:17 into the third.
New Jersey got on the scoreboard with Nick Palmieri’s fourth of the season at the 13:34 mark, giving them more than enough time to catch up, but as Carey Price remained focused in the net, Montreal took the match to snap its two-game losing streak and move up to the tenth position in the Eastern Conference, now tied with Washington Capitals with 31 points.
Montreal will be looking forward to get another win with their newly found player and momentum when they host the New York Islanders on Tuesday, while New Jersey has the next against Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday.
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