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Friday, February 16, 2001

By Dave Molinari, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Matchup: Penguins vs. New Jersey Devils, 7:38 p.m. tonight, Continental Airlines Arena.

TV, radio: Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh; WWSW-FM (94.5). WBGG-AM (970).

Probable goaltenders: Rich Parent (1-0-2, 2.61 goals-against average) for the Penguins. Martin Brodeur (26-12-10, 2.32 goals-against average) for the Devils.

Penguins: Have gone 2-1 against Devils, including 4-2 victory at Continental Airlines Arena Nov. 10. ... Power play has failed to score in consecutive games for first time since being shut out three in row Dec. 20-23. ... Have outscored opponents, 18-3, during second period of past seven victories.

Devils: Are 15-8-5 at home. ... D Scott Stevens will be appearing in his 1,410th game, tying him with Norm Ullman for 12th place on NHL's all-time list. ... RW Randy McKay has five goals, but no assists, in three games against Penguins this season.

Hidden stat: Devils and New York Islanders are only NHL teams without a short-handed goal on home ice.

All 24 players on the Penguins' major-league payroll, including injured G Garth Snow, went through a 30-minute workout at Southpointe yesterday. LW Rene Corbet, who missed two games because of a bruised ankle and was held out of the Penguins' 2-1 victory against Minnesota Wednesday as a precaution, said he expects to rejoin the lineup when the Penguins visit New Jersey tonight.

C Mario Lemieux said he will play tonight, then decide tomorrow morning whether to dress for the Penguins' game in Columbus. "Obviously, I want to play all the games and try to help promote the game," Lemieux said. "And Columbus, being a new team, like Minnesota, I [believe] that it is important that, if I feel close to 100 percent, I should be on the ice." Still, Lemieux said his top priority has to be doing what's right for his team, not the opposing team's home crowd. "We have to take care of our own business first," he said. "Look at the big picture, and make the right decision (based) on that." The Devils probably aren't surprised that Lemieux selected the game tonight as the one he absolutely plans to play in this weekend, but are to be forgiven for wishing he'd save himself for the Blue Jackets tomorrow. "If he doesn't play [tonight], there will probably be a lot of disappointed people, but this is a more important game for his team, and he came back to help his team," Brodeur told the Newark Star-Ledger. "I wouldn't mind for him to play in Columbus."

The Penguins allowed just one short-handed goal in their first 51 games, but have given up four in the past five. Most members of the No. 1 power-play unit contend they aren't concerned about that becoming a trend, but Lemieux suggested the Penguins are paying a price for attempting high-risk passes in the attacking zone. "Sometimes, we just take too many chances at the blue line, trying to make that pass across, and [the penalty-killers] are starting to read that," he said. "I think we did a good job for most of the season, but the last four or five games, we've been taking too many chances."

New Jersey has some significant injuries -- RW Alexander Mogilny (abdomen) and D Brian Rafalski (shoulder) are questionable for the game, while D Scott Niedermayer (knee) is not expected to play -- and Coach Larry Robinson believes the Devils' problems have been compounded by the all-star break earlier this month. "Maybe we're not in as good of shape as we thought," Robinson said. "We've been practicing less and playing worse. It's time to be on the ice more and get our legs back. They must have gone on the all-star break and left them wherever they were."

Whether the Devils are the best team in the Eastern Conference -- or the league -- is a matter of opinion. What isn't open to debate is they are entitled to a measure of respect simply for being the NHL's defending champions. "They're the Stanley Cup champs," Penguins D Ian Moran said. "Until somebody else wins it, or they're knocked out, they're the team that everybody has to try to beat. And regardless of what [some teams'] records are in the West, they're the best team." The Devils have won the Cup in two of the past six seasons, and those triumphs have inspired a confidence that helps to perpetuate their success. "When I was there, we always had a winning attitude," said Penguins RW Krzysztof Oliwa, a former Devil. "We didn't allow ourselves to think about losing. It was as if such a thing didn't exist."

Devils C Jason Arnott was knocked out of the Penguins' 5-4 victory last Saturday because of a sprained shoulder caused by a blind-side hit from Josef Beranek, and has made it clear he'd like to avenge that check. "I'm not going to go gunning for him, but if I can get him clean ..." Arnott said. Losing Arnott might have been a factor in the game last Saturday, but doesn't fully explain why New Jersey was unable to protect a 3-0 lead. "We get up three goals and we're thinking we're a hell of a hockey club," Devils C Bobby Holik said. "And we gave the game right back to them."

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON (27-17-7-1) did not play. C Toby Petersen and RW Tom Kostopoulos are tied for the team lead with plus-12 ratings. The top-rated defenseman is Chris Kelleher at plus-9.

WHEELING (18-25-7) did not play.