Martin Brodeur broke the NHL record with his 104th career shutout, and maybe the only surprise was how easily it came against the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
Brodeur needed to make only a few difficult saves while breaking Terry Sawchuk's shutout record, further strengthening his case to be considered the best goaltender to play the game, and the New Jersey Devils had little trouble beating host Pittsburgh 4-0 on Monday night.
Brodeur made 35 saves to break the coveted shutout record only two games after setting another NHL mark. He surpassed Patrick Roy's record for regular-season appearances by a goaltender when he started his 1,030th on Friday, and Monday was his 1,032nd game in 16 seasons, all with the Devils.
ALSO MONDAY
Avalanche 4, Wild 3: Matt Hendricks scored short-handed to cap a three-goal second period for Colorado, which beat host Minnesota for the first time in five tries.
The Avs beat Minnesota in regulation for only the second time in the past 16 regular-season matchups between these Northwest Division opponents.
Canadiens 4, Thrashers 3 (OT): Marc-Andre Bergeron scored late in the third period to tie, then scored again in overtime to help Montreal defeat host Atlanta.
The Canadiens won their second straight on a seven-game road trip after losing five in a row at home.
The Thrashers set a team record with 50 shots, more than double Montreal's 23.
Lightning 4, Islanders 2: Ryan Malone scored two power-play goals in the third period, and Tampa Bay shook off two one-goal deficits to defeat host New York.
The Lightning wrapped up a six-game trip with a respectable 2-3-1 mark.
Sabres 3, Maple Leafs 2 (OT): Derek Roy scored 3:35 into overtime and Ryan Miller made 34 saves to lead Buffalo over host Toronto.
The win was the sixth in eight games for the Northeast-leading Sabres.
Panthers 4, Flyers 1: Nathan Horton, Stephen Weiss and Michael Frolik each had a power-play goal for Florida to beat host Philadelphia.
The Flyers have lost 14 of their past 17 games, and only Carolina has fewer points.
Bruins 2, Senators 0: Tim Thomas stopped 29 shots for his fourth shutout of the season, and Patrice Bergeron and Marco Sturm scored in the third period to help Boston top host Ottawa.
Thomas, who won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie last season, made his record 8-8-5 this season with his 16th career shutout.
LATE SUNDAY
Blues 3, Canucks 1: David Backes scored twice, and Ty Conklin made 29 saves to help St. Louis defeat host Vancouver. Shane O'Brien scored for Vancouver, his first goal in more than two seasons.
NOTES
Coyotes sign Eriksson: The Phoenix Coyotes have made a switch of defensemen, signing NHL veteran Anders Eriksson and assigning David Schlemko, 22,to the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League.
Eriksson was a member of Detroit's 1998 Stanley Cup team.
Stars put Fistric on injured list: The Dallas Stars have placed defenseman Mark Fistric on injured reserve with a head injury and recalled Ivan Vishnevskiy from their AHL affiliate.
