MONTREAL -- Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu was greeted with a lengthy ovation Tuesday night as he resumed his playing career seven months after being diagnosed with abdominal cancer.

	Saku Koivu, left, shares a laugh with Montreal teammate Donald Audette following his first shift in more than seven months.

The Canadiens capped an emotional night, beating the Ottawa Senators 4-3 to clinch their first playoff berth in four seasons.

A sold-out Molson Centre crowd of 21,273 greeted the 27-year-old Finn with a standing ovation that lasted eight minutes -- from the time he stepped on the ice until the opening faceoff -- prior to Montreal's game against the Ottawa Senators.

Koivu, who underwent aggressive chemotherapy treatments to combat the disease, was given his first standing ovation of the night when his arrival on the ice for warmups brought the 8,000 or so fans on hand out of their seats.

Four minutes before the Canadiens took the ice for the game, the crowd chanted "Saku! Saku! Saku!" The cheers grew as the video scoreboard showed the Canadiens preparing to leave their dressing room, and the sound of their applause rose to a crescendo as the last player -- Koivu -- took the ice.

Even members of the Senators looked on and tapped their sticks on the ice as Koivu took his first few turns around the ice.

Ottawa backup goalie Jani Hurme clapped his trapper and blocker together as he stood on the ice in front of the Senators' bench.

The ovation soared once again as Koivu went over to hug goalie Jose Theodore in front of the Canadiens' net while his teammates made their way to the bench.

A sustained ovation that lasted nearly five minutes began when Koivu was introduced as a member of the Canadiens' starting lineup.

The crowd staved off public address announcer Pierre Lacroix's first two attempts to introduce the Canadian national anthem, and continued cheering once it had begun.

A final ovation came as Koivu took his place at center ice for the opening faceoff.

Referee Dan Marouelli retreated to the edge of the circle and clapped his hands as he stood between Canadiens right wing Andreas Dackell and Ottawa left wing Benoit Brunet.

Koivu took a 22-second shift to begin the game and played a total of 3:08 while taking part in four shifts during the first period.