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Friday, October 20, 2000

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 7:38 p.m. tomorrow, Mellon Arena. TV, radio: WCWB, WWSW-FM (94.5), WWSW-AM (970).

D Janne Laukkanen (knee), D Hans Jonsson (concussion) and D Ian Moran (knee) did not play for the Penguins last night, which meant RW Dennis Bonvie was in uniform for the first time this season. Ottawa scratched G Patrick Lalime (knee), RW Daniel Alfredsson (hip) and D Karel Rachenuk. Ex-Penguins LW Shawn McEachern filled in for Alfredsson as Ottawa's captain.

Lalime, who figures to be Ottawa's go-to goalie this season, apparently was upset by some backhanded criticism he received from Penguins GM Craig Patrick during the preseason. Patrick, asked by the Post-Gazette if Jean-Sebastien Aubin would take over as the team's No. 1 goalie since his contract dispute was resolved, responded that "Aubin could possibly be our No. 1, but we still want to see how things shape up. Everyone believes he's still got a lot to show us. He had a good year, but so did Patrick Lalime when he was here, and he has never emerged as a No. 1 anywhere." The Ottawa Citizen reported that Lalime was visibly upset when told of Patrick's remarks, but then said, "Ah, sometimes that's just negotiations, a way to work into it. I know Aubin, and everyone knows he's the No. 1 there." Lalime did not play last night because of a sprained left knee he suffered last Saturday, but might resume skating Monday and could be in uniform when the Senators visit Mellon Arena Wednesday.

If Columbus Coach Dave King sticks to the goalie rotation he's been using -- and there's no reason to believe he'll deviate from it -- Ron Tugnutt will play when the Blue Jackets visit Mellon Arena tomorrow night. Tugnutt, the driving force behind the Penguins' playoff run last spring, said he is "pretty much sure" that he'll get the start, and made it clear he has no qualms about facing his former teammates. "I'd love to play [tomorrow]," he said. "I like to play every game. It doesn't matter what the circumstances are." Tugnutt is 1-2, with a 3.05 goals-against average and .883 save percentage. Columbus' other goalie is Marc Denis, formerly of Colorado.

Turns out the Penguins aren't the only successful team fretting about ticket sales this season. When Ottawa had more than 2,500 tickets left for the game against the Penguins still unsold on Wednesday, team president Roy Mlakar went public with his dismay. "I know these early-season games in October are a tough sell," he told the Ottawa Sun. "But we need the same kind of support in October that we get in March." Ottawa reportedly has 11,400 commitments for season tickets in 2000-2001; that's 2,000 more than the Penguins.

Gilles Meloche, the Penguins' goaltending coach and Quebec scout, got to see a memorable performance by his son, Eric, when the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins played in Quebec City Sunday. First, Eric Meloche went head-first into the boards, receiving a wound that required 12 stitches to close. On his very next shift -- after declining to get immediate treatment for his injury -- Meloche got a chance from in front of the net, and threw in his first professional goal.

The Penguins' 8-6 victory against the New York Rangers last Saturday was wildly entertaining -- for everyone except the Rangers, anyway -- but Aubin believes that game played a role in their 3-2 loss to Carolina at Mellon Arena two nights ago. That torching New York the way they did gave the Penguins an inflated sense of self-esteem. "That's what happens when you score eight goals," Aubin said. "Our confidence was way too high. We have to work harder. We aren't going to score eight goals every night."

Going into last night, the Penguins had faced two-goal deficits in two games this season, and lost them both. One was the season-opener, a 3-1 loss to Nashville in Japan, the other their 3-2 defeat by Carolina Tuesday. "We have to learn to play from behind," D Darius Kasparaitis said.

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON (2-3) did not play. Rookie C Alexander Zevakhin, the Penguins' No. 2 pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, has one assist in his first five games.

WHEELING (0-3) did not play.