Standing Ovation in Montreal

Not for the reason you might think though. The Habs played another abysmal game in losing to the Devils 3-1, and were soundly booed throughout much of the third period and as they left the ice. The standing ovation was instead reserved for Martin Brodeur, who tied Patrick Roy atop the all-time wins list with career victory 551 last night. Forced to make only 22 saves it wasn't even much of a challenge for him, and were it not for a goal by Tomas Plekanec (who continues to impress) midway through the first period, he would have added another shutout to that impressive total on top of the historic win.

With the loss, the second Bob Gainey era now sits at a mark of 1-1-1. More disconcerting than just the record is the complete lack of defensive effort (to go along with a sputtering offence), allowing a staggering 48 shots on goal last night. For anybody still thinking that this is a legitimate playoff team, you have to question just who they'd be able to beat in a first round match up with the effort we've seen in the last week or so...

The 8th-place Rangers will be the next opponents to visit Montreal (Tuesday night), and with playoff positioning slipping away this will likely be a must-win situation. Whether the team will be up to that type of challenge remains to be seen