Devils' Jagr teases Zubrus: 'Who knows where I could be if I didn't have him on my line?'

Devils forwards Jaromir Jagr and Dainius Zubrus are good friends. And good friends tease each other sometimes, especially when they go as far back as as Jagr and Zubrus do. 

After Zubrus scored twice Saturday night against the Lightning in a 3-0 Devils win, with Jagr picking up assists on both goals, Jagr made sure Zubrus didn't think too highly of himself after the game, writes The Record's Tom Gulitti. 

Jagr said, referencing his and Zubrus' days together in Washington:

"I got traded from Pittsburgh and had 120 points. They put (Zubrus) on the line and I had 70. So, it was a 50 percent drop. So, it wasn’t a good move.

"But after 10 years he’s a little bit better."

High praise. 

Jagr hasn't scored in eight games, a drought that goes back to late November, and it's Zubrus' fault: 

"He’s shutting me down. Who knows where I could be if I didn’t have him on my line? I would be an all-star."

Zubrus scored on Friday night, as well, against Pittsburgh, off a shot Jagr took, which Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury got a piece of. The puck was going in, and Zubrus made sure to put it home. Jagr was robbed of a goal. 

"He's got 700," Zubrus said. "He can spare one." 

Jagr, 41 years old, has 11 goals and 17 assists in 34 games. He is ageless. And he takes the game as seriously as he did when he was a rookie. Taking on a more serious note, Jagr talked about the inconsistency of the Devils, and noted that days off for the club shouldn't be taken lightly: 

"If coaches give us the day off to rest and be with the family we have to make sure we are ready for the game. That’s what I’m still mad about. I know we’re going to be fine if we play back to back.

"(When the team) practices, it’s up to the coaches. They understand we need a break, too. But I think everybody should know their own body and know what they really need. It doesn’t mean if the coach gives you a day off you’re just going to lay in the bed and do nothing. It’s not going to help you. You know what your body needs. You’re a professional. You should know and just get ready for the game." 

Jagr's all business. The hockey world will collectively weep when he calls it a career.