5. Breaking away against former team – On the final day of 2010, finally, Ilya and the Devils had a reason to celebrate: they won a game. This was the highlight of that game, and finally, for all the right reasons.
4. First win of the year – This is the first of three overtime goals for Ilya Kovalchuk in the 2010-11 season, and it was also John MacLean’s first win as a head coach. 8 wins later, he’d be fired.
3. First goal as a Devil – Here’s Kovalchuk’s first goal as a Devil. Yes, as you’ll hear Chico Resch point out, we all threw hats onto the ice after the goal.
2. Rebounding – Here’s what happened the night before:
1. Another OT goal from Toronto – This one is arguably the prettiest Kovalchuk goal since he came to New Jersey, and it came late in overtime against the Leafs. It was Jacques Lemaire’s 600th career win as a head coach.