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Monday, March 11, 2002

By Dejan Kovacevic

Matchup: Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Penguins, 7:38 p.m. today, Mellon Arena.

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

Probable goaltenders: Johan Hedberg for Penguins, Ron Tugnutt for Blue Jackets.

Penguins: Beat Blue Jackets, 4-3, Feb. 28 in Columbus on D Michal Rozsival's overtime goal. ... RW Alexei Kovalev has five goals, eight assists in seven games since Olympic break, including goal vs. Blue Jackets. ... Are 4-13-0-1 vs. West, only one of those victories coming at home.

Blue Jackets: Are 2-3 since losing to Penguins, with victories against Kings and Islanders. ... D Rostislav Klesla leads NHL rookies at his position with seven goals, including one vs. Penguins. ... Have been held to two or fewer goals in 42 of 65 games, with 3-32-5-2 record in those games.

Hidden stat: Penguins have never lost to team from Ohio, having gone 3-0 vs. Blue Jackets and 8-0-2 vs. Cleveland Barons in 1976-78.

The Penguins had an optional practice for an hour at Southpointe yesterday, a loose session in which only 13 players participated. None of the forwards or defensemen who regularly log the most playing time went on the ice.

Coach Rick Kehoe had little additional news on the status of his injured players. LW Martin Straka (ankle) remained on crutches and still has no timetable for a return. D Josef Melichar (shoulder) skated on his own for the third consecutive day but remains a week away from beginning contact drills. C Robert Lang (hand) was not in attendance. Kehoe said the fractured metacarpal in Lang's left hand will need to begin healing naturally before it can be fitted for a cast, but the team has not projected when that might be.

The Blue Jackets will be without G Marc Denis (groin).

In each of the Penguins' past two games against the Blue Jackets, LW Krzysztof Oliwa has fought Columbus LW Jody Shelley. And if he dresses tonight, he expects they will drop the gloves again. "He's the guy who took my place on that team, and he wants to make a name for himself," Oliwa said. "I have to be there to answer the bell." Oliwa usually is the subject of considerable rancor when facing the Blue Jackets, even though he spent less than half of the 2000-01 season in their organization. Accounts out of Columbus have detailed that he didn't get along with several players there, notably D Lyle Odelein, the team captain. "I wasn't there very long, so I don't understand it," Oliwa said. "They've got to let it go. It didn't work out there. That's it. My life moved on. People are still screaming about me there, writing about me in the paper. Let it go."

The previous time the Penguins faced the Blue Jackets, a 4-3 overtime victory Feb. 28 in Columbus, G Jean-Sebastien Aubin was their best player, making 22 saves, including a handful of the spectacular variety. That might explain why Kehoe would reveal no more about who might be his starter tonight than to say, "They should both be ready." G Johan Hedberg has started the past four games, winning three, and said he has felt his confidence growing with each outing: "It's starting to come. It feels good."

Having needed a late tying goal and overtime to beat the Blue Jackets in their previous meeting, the Penguins aren't about to dismiss them casually. "They've played pretty well lately," Kehoe said. "They're not to be taken lightly." "They work hard, and we know Ron Tugnutt can come up huge any night," D Andrew Ference said. "We've lost to some teams that are in last place, just like we've beaten some of the teams at the top, so we know to expect this is going to be tough."

C Kris Beech's goal Saturday against the Rangers, a rising rocket of a wrist shot from the right dot, provides plenty of fodder for those who feel he doesn't shoot often enough. In his first full NHL season, he has eight goals on 104 shots in 62 games. "No, I don't think I shoot enough," he said. "Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I get into these phases where I want to pass a lot more, and I get away from shooting. But I can score goals, you know? I definitely have it in me."

With Beech and C Milan Kraft getting the first two goals in the 3-2 overtime victory against the Rangers Saturday, the Penguins had to be heartened by their emphasis on having the younger players taking a more prominent role in the offense. "It's a very young dressing room, and it's up to us to score some goals and help us win some hockey games," Kraft said. "We should be doing the same thing the rest of the season."

A team official said the Penguins have several thousand tickets remaining for the game tonight, the final one at Mellon Arena until March 20.

WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON (19-35-11-3) beat Saint John, 5-3, at First Union Arena. RW Tom Kostopoulos scored his 21st goal, LW Robert Dome his 10th, C Jan Fadrny his seventh, D Brendan Buckley his second, RW Brendan Walsh his first. G Robbie Tallas stopped 40 of 43 shots.

WHEELING (30-28-2) lost, 4-3, at Johnstown. C J.C. Ruid scored his seventh and eight goals, C Chris Wells his 16th. G Joel Laing stopped 38 of 42 shots.